GSA awards $264M contract for Brownsville-Gateway Land Port of Entry modernization project in Texas through Biden-Harris Investing in America agenda

December 19, 2024

Modernization project will enhance security, facilitate trade, and create jobs

BROWNSVILLE, Texas ㅡ Today, the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) announced it has awarded a $263,906,507 design-build contract to Brasfield & Gorrie LLC for the Brownsville-Gateway Land Port of Entry modernization project. The Birmingham, Alabama-based company will provide design-build services for a modernization project that will strengthen security, enhance trade, and create jobs by replacing all existing buildings at the land port of entry with new state-of-the-art facilities.

This critical infrastructure project includes $213.5 million in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding to support increased port capacity while securely facilitating trade and travel between the U.S. and Mexico. This contract leverages more than $50 million in Inflation Reduction Act funds that are critical to its completion, including $48.3 million for American-made low-embodied carbon construction materials, including asphalt, concrete, glass and steel. To date, GSA has been able to source these materials at little or no cost premium compared to their higher-emitting equivalents and without sacrificing performance.

“This modernized land port of entry stands as a testament to the Biden Administration’s commitment to transformative investments that enhance safety and security while driving economic growth,” said GSA Administrator Robin Carnahan. “These strategic upgrades are a triple win: generating high-quality jobs that fortify our economy and national security, reducing taxpayer expenses through energy efficiency, and paving the way for a more resilient and thriving future for our communities.”

The Brownsville-Gateway Land Port of Entry, located on nine acres in downtown Brownsville, Texas, is a vital crossing point for approximately 92,000 passenger vehicles and 89,000 pedestrians each month, traveling across the Gateway International Bridge. In operation since the 1920s, the port of entry has seen limited renovations since the 1990s, making this project crucial to update and modernize the facility to enhance security and efficiency.

The modernization project will renovate the current land port of entry by demolishing existing facilities and expanding key areas. A new 48,000 square foot administration building will replace the current 22,000 square foot space, providing a modern workspace for federal inspection agencies. The inspection area will expand to 10 primary lanes and 24 secondary inspection spaces with canopies, up from five lanes and 15 spaces, respectively. The 500 square foot headhouse will be upgraded to a new 6,000 square foot building. Additional upgrades include a new 9,000 square foot outbound inspection area and new parking lots to accommodate staff and visitors. Design will begin this February with construction scheduled to begin in summer 2026. Completion is scheduled for late 2029.

The new port of entry will be all-electric, meeting the Federal Building Performance Standards, and will feature water-saving fixtures and energy-efficient building systems. These material selections alone will avoid 200 to 300 metric tons of climate-warming carbon emissions that would otherwise be associated with the manufacture of equivalent “industry-average” building materials – this is equivalent to taking about 60 gas-powered cars off the road for a year.

“This complete overhaul of the primary lanes and CBP administrative building infrastructure at Gateway is a vital, much needed project that will provide our employees with the updated workspace essential to fulfilling our national and economic security mission,” said Acting Deputy Commissioner Pete Flores. “This critical infrastructure project will enable CBP to be able to process a much larger volume of passenger vehicle and pedestrian traffic while still upholding the agency’s priority border security mission through an effective deployment of CBP officers, canines and non-intrusive inspection system technology.”

“Now more than ever, it is critical that our nation’s ports of entry are equipped with the resources and infrastructure needed to facilitate trade and strengthen border security,” said Senator John Cornyn. “This modernization project for the Brownsville-Gateway Land Port of Entry will improve facilities and lead to more efficient daily operations, including shortening wait times, and I thank Cameron County leaders for their efforts to make this a reality.”

“Thanks to funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the modernization of the Brownsville-Gateway land port of entry is fantastic news for South Texas,” said Congressman Vicente Gonzalez. “By enhancing security, shortening wait times, and supporting our growing demand for cross border movement, we are ensuring Brownsville remains a competitive entrance for trade, tourism, and travel.”

This project is part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s Buy Clean Initiative, under which the federal government is, for the first time, prioritizing the purchase of asphalt, concrete, glass, and steel with lower levels of greenhouse gas emissions associated with their production. These investments aim to expand America’s industrial capacity for manufacturing goods and materials of the future, address the climate crisis, and create good-paying jobs for workers in the region.

Through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act, GSA is building  and modernizing dozens of land ports of entry on the country’s northern and southern borders. The investments will improve commerce and trade, enhance security, create good-paying jobs, and incorporate innovative cost-saving sustainability features.

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About GSA: GSA provides centralized procurement and shared services for the federal government, managing a nationwide real estate portfolio of nearly 370 million rentable square feet, overseeing about $100 billion in products and services via federal contracts, and delivering technology services that serve millions of people across dozens of federal agencies. GSA’s mission is to deliver the best customer experience and value in real estate, acquisition, and technology services to the government and the American people. For more information, visit GSA.gov and follow us at @USGSA.