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Best days to cross at Pharr?


Yo1

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I've searched for the answer here but can't find it even though I've seen it posted.  What are the best days of the week to cross the border at Pharr or there abouts.  Mainecoon, I tried to send you a private message but the form wouldn't let me type a message, only title.  Weird!

TIA

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  • 2 weeks later...

I've been advised by two crossers whose opinions I have confidence in that the relatively new Anzalduas bridge, west of the Pharr and Reynosa crossings, south of Mission (though apparently within McAllen)  is now the easiest, fastest, and best crossing to use.  Random checks of crossing times on the internet have consistently shown it to have the shortest time.  Accordingly, it's the one I'll use next month.

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On 2/6/2018 at 5:32 PM, Yo1 said:

I've searched for the answer here but can't find it even though I've seen it posted.  What are the best days of the week to cross the border at Pharr or there abouts.  Mainecoon, I tried to send you a private message but the form wouldn't let me type a message, only title.  Weird!

TIA

Googling Border crossing times yields many results that are up dated hourly.

Click here for Pharr

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The Pharr border crossing times can be deceiving. On more than one occasion we got stuck behind a long line of trucks heading to their own bridge. They queued up using both lanes blocking the car exit to the Pharr crossing. Absolutely no one on the US side of course so the "wait" time was correct. Then, since US customs were bored they decided to search through most of our luggage in the trunk. That's when we quit using Pharr.

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We've crossed there 20 times without problems.  If we arrive too late on Sunday, it can be quite slow on the U.S. side but that seems to be true of at least some of the other bridges as well.  Going south, we always cross at opening time on Sunday morning and are through there in 5 minutes or less.

My best experience going north was crossing on a Saturday around 4PM.  It was very fast.  We have been searched by U.S. immigration once, took about 15 minutes.  The Anzalduas bridge is pretty far out of the way for us so as long as Pharr continues to work well we'll continue to use it.  All the hotels we like are also on the direct route north from the Pharr bridge.

Certainly have never experienced a problem with the trucks blocking the road for cars in either direction.  That may have something to do with our normally Sunday crossing times.  We also find the drives in both directions in Mexico easier on Sundays because there are fewer trucks in either direction in Mexico on Sundays. 

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Crossings vary widely by date and time.  Monday and Friday are the most lengthy.  Anzalduas can be zero minutes to 2 hours.  It is easy to access any point north from it so I don't understand the Pharr convenience.  Anzalduas is on the west side of Reynosa and closer to Monterrey and does not require travel thru Reynosa, which is a bit dicey now.  Here is a very good site for border crossing info  https://bwt.cbp.gov/index.html?com=0&pas=1&ped=1&plist=2305  

I live in Mission and cross into Reynosa every M-F.  But I do have Sentri and Temporary Resident.  And I plan to relocate to Chapala/Ajijic area early next year....so I will have questions.  Thank you

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Since you live in Mission you might be the best source about this, but....  Often it appears that 'trouble' is on Highway 40 just WEST of Reynosa. This deters some folks from wanting to drive into Reynosa from any direction. That is why some go a bit farther east to the Pharr Bridge.

 

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5 hours ago, RGVBREW said:

It is easy to access any point north from it so I don't understand the Pharr convenience.

Very simply this.  If you are going north on 281 from the McAllen area, it is a straight shot from the Pharr bridge.  Anzaldus is west of Reynosa and out of the way both coming and going if one is either coming south or going north on 281.

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 2/23/2018 at 4:53 PM, RickS said:

Since you live in Mission you might be the best source about this, but....  Often it appears that 'trouble' is on Highway 40 just WEST of Reynosa. This deters some folks from wanting to drive into Reynosa from any direction. That is why some go a bit farther east to the Pharr Bridge.

 

I don't know why anyone would take another route from Monterrey to Reynosa other than 40.....it would be more dangerous.  40 is the highway!  Yes, there are occasional issues but there are more on the east side of Reynosa which is where one has to go to get to Pharr.  Come in 40 and circle the Sorianna and get on the libramento and you spend the least time in Reynosa.

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On 2/23/2018 at 5:58 PM, Mainecoons said:

Very simply this.  If you are going north on 281 from the McAllen area, it is a straight shot from the Pharr bridge.  Anzaldus is west of Reynosa and out of the way both coming and going if one is either coming south or going north on 281.

But the traffic alone on 281 is much worse than coming in Anzalduas and proceeding due north on Bryan Rd (new 4 lane road opened 18 months ago) to the Expressway 83 and then to 281N.....  granted right now, there is construction on EXPY 83 that may slow you a bit but still much easier.  There is one traffic light involved and you can turn right on red at it :) 

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If you say so.  We've  never encountered any significant delays on 281 N from the bridge.  You would be going miles out of your way using the Anzaldus bridge.  We have encountered delays on 83 practically every time we are in that area.

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20 hours ago, Mainecoons said:

If you say so.  We've  never encountered any significant delays on 281 N from the bridge.  You would be going miles out of your way using the Anzaldus bridge.  We have encountered delays on 83 practically every time we are in that area.

I am not sure how you are  plotting the distance, but according to Google maps, from a starting point west of Reynosa, taking Anzalduas to 281N beyond the Expressway is 4 km shorter......and as much as 30 minutes faster though I would question that amount.  The residents of Reynosa prefer Anzalduas....just remember it has limited hours and Pharr is unlimited.   

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I see the problem.  We are coming straight up from the south on Mexico 97. You are assuming coming from the west on 40D.  Going through Monterrey to get to Pharr is also quite out of the way and the tolls are higher.   You're coming from the west so obviously the Anzaldus bridge makes more sense.  For us it would be miles out of the way.

 

 

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I've seen far more reports of incidences on 40D between Monterrey and Reynosa by far.  It seems the whole country has been pretty dangerous lately, just sayin'.  This route avoids Reynosa, that is one of the advantages.  In fact it doesn't go into a town of any size after Lagos de Moreno.  10.5 hours or less to the U.S. side of the bridge.

If I were going to go to Monterrey I'd exit at Laredo.

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