Nuevo León expands Colombia Port with bridges and tax incentives

Construction of two new international bridges at the Colombia Port of Entry is expected to begin in May 2027 and be completed in 2029 as the Nuevo León government advances plans for a tax incentive zone and industrial hub to support continued growth in cross-border trade.

Nuevo León Gov. Samuel García announced during a recent visit to Laredo that presidential permits for the two additional bridges were issued in June 2025.

The new bridges will be dedicated exclusively to commercial freight traffic, while the existing bridge will continue serving passenger vehicles and tourism.

The project, which represents an estimated $200 million investment shared equally by the governments of Texas and Nuevo León, is intended to accommodate commercial traffic projected to reach 15,000 daily crossings by 2030.

Marco González, Nuevo León’s secretary of Regional and Agricultural Development and director general of the Corporation for the Development of the Nuevo León Border Zone, said the project was designed in coordination with U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the U.S. Border Patrol to improve freight movement across the border.

“These are two bridges dedicated exclusively to commercial freight,” González said. “The original bridge, thanks to the growing demand from Nuevo León residents and Mexican citizens living in the United States, will become a tourism bridge.”

According to González, one bridge will provide four dedicated freight lanes connecting directly from Mexico’s National Customs Agency (ANAM) customs facilities to the U.S. customs inspection compound, while a second four-lane bridge, located about 200 meters away, will provide additional access to the ANAM customs complex.

He said separating commercial and passenger traffic will reduce congestion and allow freight shipments to move directly through customs without interfering with passenger traffic.

González said presidential permits for the project were issued in June 2025 and that Nuevo León has been working with the city of Laredo on preliminary engineering studies.

“Everything is ready to begin the executive design phase in September so construction can start on schedule in May 2027,” González said.

González said the Colombia Port of Entry has undergone a dramatic transformation over the past five years.

“Five years ago, we had a forgotten customs facility that didn’t even have a concession,” González said. “Today it has become Mexico’s second most important and safest commercial port of entry. You can cross in five minutes thanks to joint inspections by Mexican and U.S. authorities.”

He said the state expects to complete the bridge project on an accelerated schedule compared with similar international bridge projects.

“Other ports have taken seven to 10 years to complete projects like these,” González said. “We’re going to do it in record time.”

According to García, modernization of the Colombia Port of Entry laid the foundation for the current expansion.

“We started with the basics — the customs facility,” García said. “It was a forgotten customs crossing that had remained unchanged for 40 years. Today we have doubled its capacity, expanding from seven to 14 commercial cargo lanes.”

García said the modernized port has experienced 1,000% growth, with traffic along the Gloria-Colombia corridor increasing from about 800 daily crossings to 8,000.

García also announced the Anáhuac-Colombia Industrial Hub, the only federally authorized industrial development zone along Mexico’s northern border under President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo’s Plan México initiative.

The industrial hubs are federally designated zones intended to attract public and private investment, stimulate economic activity, create quality jobs and improve residents’ quality of life through investment incentives, streamlined administrative processes and tax benefits.

According to Nuevo León officials, companies that establish operations within the proposed Anáhuac-Colombia Industrial Hub would be eligible for federal and state tax incentives through Sept. 30, 2030. The incentives include a 100% immediate federal income tax deduction on qualifying new investments, an additional deduction for eligible employee training and innovation expenses, a 100% exemption from Nuevo León’s payroll tax and exemptions from certain state government fees and services.

Qualifying businesses also could receive expedited refunds of value-added, excise and certain foreign trade taxes through federal programs. Officials said the incentive package is intended to encourage investment and attract logistics, warehousing, distribution, light manufacturing and agribusiness operations near the Colombia Port of Entry.

Officials said the incentive package is designed to attract logistics companies, distribution centers, warehouses, light manufacturing and agribusiness operations while encouraging investment and economic development near the Colombia Port of Entry.

“We are announcing an industrial development hub so that, as the bridges are built and the highways on the Texas side are completed, companies can establish distribution centers or logistics operations there and benefit from zero taxes — a tax paradise,” García said.

García said Nuevo León’s long-term strategy depends on strengthening transportation links with Texas.

“For Nuevo León, it is essential to have the infrastructure in place to be part of this logistics triangle,” García said. “We need to be connected with Dallas, Houston, Brownsville, Corpus Christi, Austin, San Antonio and Laredo.”

Officials project the Colombia Port of Entry will reach 15,000 commercial crossings per day by 2030, making additional infrastructure essential to meet future demand.

Garcia and González said the bridge expansion, industrial hub and highway improvements represent a long-term strategy to position the Colombia Port of Entry as one of North America’s premier trade gateways.

“Imagine what this area will look like in two years and where it will be in five,” González said. “This was once a forgotten border crossing. Today it is Mexico’s second most important and safest commercial port of entry, and we’re only getting started.”