PR Newswire
CALGARY, AB
, Feb. 6, 2025 /PRNewswire/ – Canadian Pacific Kansas City (TSX: CP) (NYSE: CP) (CPKC) today officially opened the Patrick J. Ottensmeyer International Railway Bridge with a ceremonial ribbon cutting held over the Rio Grande.
“The name Patrick J. Ottensmeyer will forever be a part of the proud history of Kansas City Southern and the legacy of CPKC,” said Keith Creel, CPKC President and CEO. “Pat believed strongly in the work our railroaders do every day enabling trade amongst great nations. His leadership and vision led to the development and completion of the second span of the international bridge between the United States and Mexico at North America’s largest inland gateway. Having it bear his name is a fitting tribute to a remarkable leader and person.”
Ottensmeyer served as final president and CEO of Kansas City Southern (KCS) from 2015 until April 14, 2023, upon the completion of the combination of Canadian Pacific and KCS that created CPKC. He passed away in July 2024.
Among his many career recognitions, Ottensmeyer received the North American Rail Shippers Association Edward R. Hamberger Lifetime Achievement Award in 2023. He was a two-time Railway Age Railroader of the Year (2020 and 2022) and received Progressive Railroading‘s Railroad Innovator Award in 2019. An advocate of North American trade, Ottensmeyer also served as the U.S. Chairman of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s U.S.-Mexico Economic Council (USMXECO) from 2019 to 2023. In this role as leader of the U.S.-Mexico CEO Dialogue, he was instrumental in representing business interests during the formation of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) from 2017-2020.
The Ottensmeyer bridge is the only railroad bridge crossing the Rio Grande River linking Laredo, Texas, and Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, across the U.S.-Mexico border. The $100 million bridge more than doubles the capacity at the border of the most secure and efficient railway trade corridor between the United States and Mexico, the U.S.’s largest trading partner. The U.S. Presidential Permit for construction of the new bridge span was received in July 2020.
Key features of the Ottensmeyer Bridge:
- New second track bridge with total length of 1,170 feet.
- Ballasted deck plate girder bridge built with six reinforced concrete piers.
- Second track bridge constructed on the right-of-way roughly 35 feet from existing track bridge, allowing trains to operate in both directions at the same time.
- 4,500 feet of new track.
- Enhanced border security investments, including a new VACIS X-ray railcar inspection system and surveillance cameras.
About CPKC
With its global headquarters in Calgary, Alta., Canada, CPKC is the first and only single-line transnational railway linking Canada, the United States and México, with unrivaled access to major ports from Vancouver to Atlantic Canada to the Gulf of México to Lázaro Cárdenas, México. Stretching approximately 20,000 route miles and employing 20,000 railroaders, CPKC provides North American customers unparalleled rail service and network reach to key markets across the continent. CPKC is growing with its customers, offering a suite of freight transportation services, logistics solutions and supply chain expertise. Visit cpkcr.com to learn more about the rail advantages of CPKC. CP-IR
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SOURCE CPKC
