Baja Border Crossing San Ysidro-Tecate-Mexicali / Sentri and Ready Lane

Old 01-26-10, 05:30 PM   #1
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Default San Ysidro Border - Tandem Lanes to Decrease Wait Time



San Ysidro construction project expected to last until 2015

The busiest port of entry in the entire nation is about to be refreshed. A safer and bigger building is planned to replace the existing 30-year-old facility that can no longer support a daily influx of more than 50,000 vehicles and 25,000 pedestrians.

U.S. General Service Administration will trade the old building for a new port that will incorporate the latest in security and anti-terrorism enhancements designed to improve pedestrian and vehicular processing, increase operational efficiency, provide greater safety, and decrease operational and maintenance costs.

Work on the project, planned since 2002, has finally started with the challenge to complete the changes without increasing already long delays and keeping the existing 24 lanes in service.

Customs and Border Protection project manager Oscar Preciado said that San Ysidro is ready to support the five years of construction.

Preciado said that the new project will consist of the demolition of the old building and the construction of a new facility that will include primary and secondary inspection areas, administration building, pedestrian building, and other support structures.

In addition, a new southbound roadway with inspection areas will be constructed to connect with Mexico’s El Chaparral facility, west of the actual exit.

The expanded facility will consist of 225,000 square feet of building space, 30 inbound vehicle lanes with double stack inspection booths, one bus lane, and six outbound vehicle lanes.



Why it is needed: The San Ysidro Port of Entry at present holds 24 vehicle lanes with more than 50,000 vehicles and receives 25,000 pedestrians every day. The San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) predicts an increase in vehicle traffic at San Ysidro of up to 70% by 2030.

SANDAG’s recent studies also indicate many substantial economic impacts to the California and Baja California region as a result of increased wait times at the border for pedestrians and vehicles.

GSA’s public affairs officer Gene Gibson said that the project called “Island” developed by architect Ross Drulis Cusenbery and DMJM Engineering, will be completed in three phases.

Phase 1: Northbound Vehicle Throughput and associated facilities, including the site acquisition of all required property. December 2009 - September 2013

Phase 2: Northbound Pedestrian Facilities. February 2012-June 2014

Phase 3: Southbound Roadway and Facility, and the historic Old Port, which is under Section 106 consultation with the State Historic Preservation Officer. February 2013-June 2015


Artist's rendering of what the new San Ysidro Port of Entry is expected to look like when completed. (GSA courtesy image)

Although a major portion of the project is currently in design, the work for Phase 1 started in December with the construction of a pedestrian bridge and is expected to be finished by June 2011.

GSA estimates that the project will cost about $577 million and that it will be completed in September 2015.

San Ysidro Chamber of Commerce executive director Jason M-B Wells said that they have great expectations under the new construction.

“Lower waits of time will increase the crossings in our border and of course it will benefit the commerce,” he said.

Wells added that at this time, the delays over the border affect more than violence to the economic development on the region.

“We have been supervising and waiting for this project for a long time; and with a $577 million budget we are sure that we are going to have a faster and safer installation at our border,” he said.







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