The local state and federal governments on both the US and Mexican sides would like to see the 1928 Roma-Miguel Aleman Suspension Bridge re-opened and turned into a pedestrian bridge between these two connected cities, divided by an international border. However, politically, for whatever reason, this project just never gets off the ground. It would be a tragedy to lose such an elegant suspension bridge across the Rio Grande, especially when it's the last one.
The historic Roma-Miguel Aleman suspension bridge served as an easy way to cross the border from 1928-1979. The bridge was decommissioned and its decking removed in 1979 when the "new" international bridge opened.
The local, state, and national governments on both sides of the border keep trying to preserve this bridge as a pedestrian-only crossing, but cannot agree on how exactly to do it.
From the Preservation Texas website: (
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"Roma-Ciudad Miguel Aleman International Suspension Bridge
Spur 29, off of US 83, Roma, Starr County
During the late 1920s, private investors financed the construction of several international suspension bridges across the Rio Grande River in the hope of stimulating commercial development in the lower Rio Grande Valley. Joseph Erastus Pate and the Starr County Bridge Company were responsible for the construction of several bridges in the area, however, the bridge between Roma, Texas, and Ciudad Miguel Aleman, Tamaulipas is the only one standing today. Open in 1928, the Roma Suspension bridge was taken out of service in 1979 when a new bridge was constructed.
Leaders at all levels in the U.S. and Mexico have been meeting for years to try to preserve the international bridge as a pedestrian crossing. Those efforts have been delayed due to the procedural differences between the U.S. and Mexican governments. While rehabilitation is not progressing, the bridge is considered an obstruction of the waterways and this threat creates a new risk for the bridge which cannot be ignored."
An article from the Valley Monitor in 2011 gives some insight into the difficulties in making this project happen: (
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"Roma, Miguel Alemán officials hopeful about historic suspension bridge
Posted: Friday, March 25, 2011 12:00 am
Gail Burkhardt
ROMA – Local and state government officials from Roma, Texas, and Miguel Alemán, Tamaulipas, celebrated Friday the 83rd anniversary of the historic suspension bridge between the two cities, with the hope that those on both sides of the Rio Grande can help restore the landmark soon.
Although the two cities have been planning to restore the San Pedro-Roma Suspension Bridge for decades, budget problems and changes in government keep stalling the project.
“Every time the government changes in Mexico, they come up with ‘Now we want this instead of this,’” said Roma City Manager Crisanto Salinas.
The Mexican federal government and the state of Tamaulipas must commit to repairing the suspension bridge by the end of April, Salinas said.
The Texas Department of Transportation awarded a grant of about $1.2 million to Starr County for the project. But if plans aren’t under way by the end of April, then the county could lose the grant, said Amy Rodriguez the Public Information Officer for the Pharr District of TxDot.
The project could cost a total $6 million, which would be divided by the two countries, Salinas said.
Budget crises in Texas and Tamaulipas make finding funds more difficult, said Mario Leal Rodriguez, a liaison for the governor of Tamaulipas. Leal said he is hopeful both sides will work to restore the bridge, which is considered a National Historic District in the U.S. and a National Artistic Monument in Mexico.
Some Mexican citizens have decided to help. The Committee for the Rehabilitation of the Roma-Alemán Suspension Bridge has raised about $41,000 for the project, said Oscar Morales, the committee’s secretary.
Tamaulipas’ new governor, Egidio Torre Cantú, is in talks with Mexico’s federal government to ensure that Mexico continues to work on the project, Leal said. Making the structure a pedestrian bridge, which Roma officials said they would like as well, would help cut down costs, Leal said.
Representatives from Miguel Alemán, Roma and Starr County will participate in a workshop to determine what everyone wants from the bridge, but the date for that meeting is not set, Salinas said.
While restoration plans for the bridge are unknown, people from Texas and Mexico still celebrated the bridge’s rich history Friday through speeches, presentations and a banquet.
Carlos Rugerio Cazares, director for the historical archives of Tamaulipas, said that the suspension bridge is the only one over the Rio Grande between Tamaulipas and Texas.
Ramon Rodriguez, mayor of Miguel Alemán, talked about the historical and emotional importance of the bridge.
“This bridge in its time represented the hope of a renovated future. Once again we can see it straightened up and majestic with the help of the governments,” he said in Spanish, adding that the bridge would be restored to the “dignity and youth like in the first day it was built.”
Also during the ceremony, Roma Mayor Jose Alfredo “Freddy” Guerra emphasized that Roma and Miguel Alemán Jose Luis “La Gata” Cerda Melendez really are just one community. Guerra, who took office in November, expressed his hope for the future of the project, which did have conflicts and experience communication problems in the past.
“Now I feel that the two countries, the two cities, the two states, we are on the same page, and we are going to move forward,” he said in Spanish."