Effect of the North American Free Trade Agreement on the TransportationInfrastructure in the Laredo-Nuevo Laredo Area

摘要

Since the late 1980's, U.S.-Mexico cross-border commercial truck traffic hasincreased significantly, a result primarily of the over 2,000 maquiladora manufacturing plants that have grown up on the Mexican side of the border. This alreadys escalating rate of commercial traffic will no doubt expand even more dramatically once a free trade agreement between the U.S., Canada, and Mexico is successfully negotiated. Accordingly, transportation planners and economists are focusing on the transportation infrastructure of the U.S.-Mexico border region. This study investigates in particular the Texas-Mexico border area. The key objective of this study was to document the extent to which the transportation infrastructure of the Laredo-Nuevo Laredo area will be affected by the increased commercial traffic generated by a free trade agreement. At the same time, it sought to establish a freight-demand methodology for forecasting import/export traffic flows through the Laredo-Nuevo Laredo area. Such a methodology could serve as the basis for assessing the impact on both the overall state highway system amd the specific transportation system within this region. Thus, this work could provide a generic framework for the analysis of key elements of the transportation infrastructure of other border crossings.