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Fate of La Linda Bridge at stake; demolition moratorium ends Jan. 31
In an effort to save the La Linda Bridge from destruction, the Rio Grande Institute and Museo Maderas del Carmen, both nonprofit groups, joined forces to form the Consortium of La Linda (COLINDA), according to Tyrus G. Fain, president and CEO of Rio Grande Institute and managing partner of COLINDA. Lic. Alberto Garza is president and CEO of Museo. The consortium sent letters Dec. 12 to private owners of La Linda International Bridge offering to purchase "the bridge structure and a narrow corridor that extends beneath the bridge from where it joins Texas Highway 2627 down to the Rio Grande." The letter stated the purpose is to "have the La Linda Bridge preserved and reopened at the earliest possible time so it can facilitate the growth of a regional tourism industry and improve the quality of life for the area's residents." Fain said it is important to show the U.S./Mexican governments that COLINDA has the expertise to operate the border crossing. "It is our intention to hold the deed to the bridge and land until a suitable owner can be located, at the same time proceed to work with the U.S. government on reopening the bridge," he said. "We would love for the State of Texas to own it," said Fain, referring to the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT). COLINDA has not as yet received a response from the owners to their offer to purchase the bridge. The U.S.-Mexico Bridges and Border Crossings Group's biannual meeting is tentatively set for Jan. 27 in San Antonio. The lead agencies for this group are the U.S. Department of State and Mexico's Ministry of Foreign Relations, said Fain. The demolition moratorium of the bridge ends Jan. 31, after a three-year extension. The fate of the one-lane bridge, located on the Rio Grande in eastern Brewster County in Heath Canyon will be discussed at the San Antonio meeting. Fain will make a presentation regarding the COLINDA proposal. More recently referred to as the Hallie Stillwell International Bridge, it was closed by U.S./Mexican authorities in 1997 after the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) was informed by the U.S. Department of Treasury that the bridge had to be closed due to smuggling activity. By this time, "NPCA had already abandoned the bridge," said Steve King of the Nature Conservancy of Texas. NPCA purchased the bridge from Dupont in 1986. The bridge was built in 1964 by Dow Chemical to transport acid grade florspar ore from La Linda, Coahuila, to the railroad at Marathon. Dow sold the bridge to Dupont in 1972. The U.S. portion of the bridge and some 15 contiguous acres are now owned by several individuals/groups holding undivided interest in the bridge and land. A lawsuit has been filed in the 394th District Court to settle a right-of-way dispute and a request to partition the land among the owners based on ownership percentage. The Mexican side of the bridge is owned by the Mexican government. Efforts to save the bridge have strong support in Brewster County and Coahuila, Mexico. The Brewster County Commissioners Court passed a resolution in 2002 supporting reopening of the bridge, and also established the Big Bend Border Council, appointing Fain and Kay Love to the council. They were directed to make recommendations to preserve the bridge. The Mexican government sent a diplomatic note to the U.S. State Department requesting permanent removal of the demolition order in February 2003. In March 2003, State Sen. Frank Madla and State Rep. Pete Gallego both passed resolutions in their respective houses in support of reopening the bridge. U.S. Congressman Henry Bonilla has worked with local groups in support of the bridge. Comments? E-mail editor@alpineavalanche.com Last minute filings create contested races The Jan. 2 filing deadline for a place on the primary ballot brought a number of surprises for both Democrats and Republicans. The primary election is a selection process by which political parties choose their candidates. The winners in the primary election will run against each other in the general election to determine who is elected to office. Fate of La Linda Bridge at stake; demolition moratorium ends Jan. 31 In an effort to save the La Linda Bridge from destruction, the Rio Grande Institute and Museo Maderas del Carmen, both nonprofit groups, joined forces to form the Consortium of La Linda (COLINDA), according to Tyrus G. Fain, president and CEO of Rio Grande Institute and managing partner of COLINDA. Lic. Alberto Garza is president and CEO of Museo. South Orient still a possibility Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) spokesman Mark Cross said, "Yes, March or April is when we anticipate the South Orient Railroad will be ready to roll once again," in a phone interview Dec. 19. Council votes agenda items 'out of order' The Alpine City Council voted five items "out of order" at a meeting Monday night because they were improperly placed on the agenda. |
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