By Luis A. Menendez
The University of Texas at El Paso's Institute of Oral History conducted an interview with former County Judge Woodrow W. Bean on August 9, 1968. Bean spoke about his involvement in several projects in El Paso. One of these projects was the Bridge of the Americas, also known as Cordova Bridge. He explained the building of the bridge was his brainchild. The biggest reason for his interest in this project was that in 1959, there were only two international bridges between El Paso and Ciudad Juárez, Mexico: the Stanton Street Bridge and the El Paso Street Bridge, both of which were privately owned and charged two cents to cross on foot or fifteen cents by car.1 Bean envisioned a new toll-free bridge to make crossing to Mexico easier for El Pasoans.
The building of the bridge was quick because Ciudad Juárez already built a bridge to Cordova Island. All the city of El Paso had to do was build their own bridge to the island, and El Pasoans would be able to take the Mexican bridge to Juarez. The difficulties came, says Mr. Bean, due to many business owners in downtown El Paso who used their influence to move the construction of the bridge elsewhere in the city. Mr. Bean recalled, "No one will ever know the odds against opening that bridge. They called me from Mexico City and told me that the bridge couldn't be opened after I had already spent $125,000 of the county's money on the bridge."2
The fate of the bridge was saved, however, by the then Senator of Texas, Lyndon B. Johnson. In an article from August 27, 1959, the El Paso Herald stated, "where others had failed for years to improve the boundary crossing conditions between El Paso and Juarez ... County Judge Woodrow Bean succeeded because he asked for and received the full support of Senator Johnson."3 Johnson, who would later become the President of the United States, attended the opening of the bridge that same day, which was also his birthday.
However, the Cordova Bridge would be replaced because of the Chamizal Treaty between the U.S. and Mexico in 1967.4 In 1993, the U.S. and Mexican governments agreed to replace the existing bridge due to its condition, which created a risk. In 1996, the building of the new Bridge of the Americas would commence. It cost six million dollars and features two-lane bridges for truck traffic, two four-lane bridges for other vehicular traffic, and two sidewalks for pedestrians. This is the bridge still in use today.
Top left: Woodrow W. Bean
Top right: Senator Lyndon B. Johnson arrives in El Paso for the opening of the Cordova Bridge. Woodrow W. Bean accompanies him in the far right, 1959.
Bottom: The Bridge of the Americas, 2016
Footnotes:
1 Interview with Woodrow W. Bean by Wilma Cleveland, 1968, "Interview no. 23," Institute of Oral History, University of Texas at El Paso.
2 Interview with Woodrow W. Bean
3 El Paso Herald - Post (1931-1997), Aug 27, 1959. https://utep.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://www-proquest-com.utep.idm.oclc.org/historical-newspapers/august-27-1959-page-1-36/docview/2732902412/se-2.
4 Texas-Mexico International Bridges and Border Crossings Existing and Proposed. By the Texas Department of Transportation. 2013.
References:
El Paso Herald - Post (1931-1997), Aug 27, 1959. https://utep.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://www-proquest-com.utep.idm.oclc.org/historical-newspapers/august-27-1959-page-1-36/docview/2732902412/se-2.
Interview with Woodrow W. Bean by Wilma Cleveland, 1968, "Interview no. 23," Institute of Oral History, University of Texas at El Paso.
Texas-Mexico International Bridges and Border Crossings Existing and Proposed. By the Texas Department of Transportation. 2013.
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