LAREDO, Texas – U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Laredo Port of Entry would like to advise the traveling public of the temporary halt in vehicular traffic at the Juarez-Lincoln Bridge the morning of Feb. 18 to host the International Bridge Ceremony, also known as the Abrazo Ceremony.
“This year, vehicular traffic is being temporarily suspended at Juarez-Lincoln Bridge to host the Abrazo Ceremony, which is a Washington’s Birthday Celebration Association (WBCA) yearly endeavor in embracing the Mexican and American culture,” said Port Director Alberto Flores, Laredo Port of Entry. “We strongly urge the traveling public to plan ahead and cross earlier, or later, to avoid unnecessary delays.”
On Saturday, Feb. 18, at approximately 5 a.m., CBP, will temporarily halt all north and southbound vehicular and commercial bus traffic at the Juarez-Lincoln Bridge to allow for the construction of the stage used in the International Bridge Ceremony. Vehicular traffic is expected to resume at 9 a.m. CBP encourages the traveling public to make arrangements to cross prior to 5 a.m. if they plan to utilize the Juarez-Lincoln Bridge as a travel route. As an alternative border crossing, Colombia-Solidarity Bridge will open at 6 a.m. on Saturday, Feb.18 to accommodate the traveling public. Gateway to the Americas Bridge will remain open to Secure Electronic Network for Travelers Rapid Inspection (SENTRI) participants and all pedestrian traffic.
CBP would like to remind the traveling public the importance of obtaining and utilizing their radio frequency identification documents (RFID)-equipped travel documents and have them readily available when making entry through designated Ready Lanes.
Border Wait Times (BWT) can be monitored through this link or at https://bwt.cbp.gov/index.html.
The BWT app is available for smartphones via Apple App Store and Google Play.
Follow the Director of CBP’s Laredo Field Office on Twitter at @DFOLaredo and also U.S. Customs and Border Protection at @CBPSouthTexas for breaking news, current events, human interest stories and photos.