The workers behind Laredo's bridges keep the nation moving

As Americans prepare to celebrate the nation's 250th birthday this July, communities across the country will reflect on the people and institutions that helped build the United States.

In Laredo, the Gateway City, some of that work happens quietly.

While families gather around barbecues as fireworks light the sky on the Fourth of July, employees of the Laredo Bridge System will continue reporting for duty around the clock, helping keep trade, travel and commerce moving through one of North America's busiest international gateways.

Many residents know the city's international bridges as places to cross into Mexico or as the routes thousands of trucks use each day. Fewer know about the workforce responsible for keeping those crossings operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

For Elsa Hinojosa, director of the Laredo Bridge System, that responsibility falls on nearly 160 employees spread across four international bridges serving commercial traffic, passenger vehicles and pedestrians.

"I believe they spend more time here than with their families," Hinojosa said. "The operations keep going 24/7."

The work supports a trade network that extends far beyond South Texas.

According to Bridge Compliance Manager Elias Caro, trade moving through Laredo reached approximately $353.94 billion last year. The city's international crossings also handle roughly 18,000 commercial vehicle movements daily, helping move goods between the United States and Mexico and onward to destinations throughout North America.

"A lot of the times when people look at the map of Laredo, you see just a small town," Caro said. "But we have such a huge impact when it comes to the transportation industry."

To many residents, the bridge system begins and ends with a toll booth.

Hinojosa said the reality is far more complex.

Employees work alongside U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the General Services Administration, Mexican customs authorities and transportation agencies on both sides of the border. They monitor traffic flows, maintain infrastructure, oversee technology systems and prepare contingency plans for disruptions that can affect thousands of travelers and commercial shipments.

The bridge system oversees four international crossings: the Gateway to the Americas International Bridge, or Bridge I, which serves passenger vehicles and pedestrians in downtown Laredo; the Juárez-Lincoln International Bridge, or Bridge II, dedicated to noncommercial vehicle traffic; the Laredo-Colombia Solidarity International Bridge, or Bridge III, which accommodates commercial and noncommercial traffic as well as pedestrians; and the World Trade Bridge, or Bridge IV, the city's primary commercial cargo crossing.

At the center of the system is the World Trade Bridge, the city's primary commercial cargo crossing and the economic engine of Laredo's bridge network. Hinojosa describes it as the system's "golden goose," a reflection of its role in moving goods between the United States and Mexico. Thousands of commercial vehicles pass through the crossing daily, carrying everything from automotive parts and electronics to food products and consumer goods destined for communities across North America.

For many Americans, the bridge is largely unknown. Yet much of the trade that supports manufacturing plants, distribution centers and store shelves across the country passes through its inspection lanes each day. Its importance extends beyond Laredo. The bridge has helped transform the city into one of the most significant trade gateways in the Western Hemisphere, making it a critical link in the modern supply chain and a piece of infrastructure that quietly helps power the U.S. economy.

Together, they form the backbone of a trade corridor that helps sustain Laredo's position as the nation's leading inland port.

"The main mission is making sure we provide safe and secure crossings," Hinojosa said. "To make sure your bridges are secure, to make sure the flow of your commercial goods and services are flowing, to make sure we're providing great customer service."

Public safety, she said, remains at the center of everything the department does.

That responsibility can become especially visible when something goes wrong.

A system outage, power failure, increased inspections or disruptions on either side of the border can quickly create miles-long traffic backups affecting travelers, trucking companies and supply chains.

"Something happens every minute," Hinojosa said. "You need to have Plan A, B, C and D."

For Caro, whose role centers on compliance and operational oversight, the job is often about identifying problems before they become larger issues.

"As compliance, you have to find those vulnerabilities, identify what can we do better and stay ahead of the trend before it becomes an issue," he said.

The work may not be visible to most travelers crossing the bridges, but city officials say it plays a significant role in maintaining the efficiency that has helped Laredo become one of the country's most important trade hubs.

Maintaining that position also requires planning for future growth.

Bridge officials are currently pursuing expansion projects and technology upgrades intended to accommodate increasing traffic volumes and improve operations across the system.

"We always look to continue staying innovative, finding new solutions, keeping that title, that number one inland port," Caro said.

For Hinojosa, the journey to overseeing that mission was anything but direct.

The bridge system is the seventh city department she has worked in during an 18-year career with the city of Laredo. Before becoming director, she worked in community development, municipal housing, human resources, building services and other departments, building the administrative experience that eventually led her to one of the city's most visible leadership positions.

Born in Monterrey, Mexico, Hinojosa later became a U.S. citizen and built her career in public service.

She recalls applying for multiple leadership positions over the years before eventually earning her first permanent director role.

There were times she considered leaving city government altogether. Instead, mentors encouraged her to stay the course and continue pursuing opportunities.

"Don't give up," she remembers being told.

Today, she oversees a system that helps connect two nations and supports hundreds of billions of dollars in annual trade.

Yet when asked about the significance of the work, Hinojosa returns not to trade figures or expansion projects but to people.

She speaks about employees working overnight shifts, weekends and holidays. She talks about supervisors and toll collectors who keep operations moving regardless of weather, traffic conditions or time of day.

"There's so much more that our staff does," she said.

As the United States approaches its 250th anniversary, much of the celebration will focus on the country's history and achievements.

In Laredo, that milestone also offers an opportunity to recognize workers whose contributions often go unnoticed - the employees staffing toll booths before sunrise, monitoring traffic flows through the night and helping ensure commerce continues moving across one of North America's busiest international corridors.

For Hinojosa, that work reflects something larger than trade.

She said becoming a U.S. citizen remains one of the proudest moments of her life.

The opportunities she found in the United States eventually led her to a career in public service and ultimately to leadership of the bridge system.

"We're blessed," Hinojosa said. "There's so much opportunity that our country provides."

Every day, thousands of travelers and commercial vehicles pass through Laredo's bridges without knowing the names of the people who keep the system running.

That's fine with Hinojosa.

The work, she said, is what matters.

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This story was originally published July 7, 2026 at 10:50 PM.