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10-10-2008, 11:18 AM #1
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Longer hours at Otay border crossing
October 09, 2008
Longer hours at Otay border crossing
SACRAMENTO -- The Schwarzenegger administration Thursday praised a long-awaited move by the federal government to extend hours at the busy Otay Mesa border crossing, saying cargo truck traffic jams are a drag on the state's struggling economy and a threat to clean air.
Southbound commercial traffic will be able to cross into Mexico starting at 6 a.m., two hours earlier. Trucks delivering goods to California will be allowed to enter until 10 p.m. instead of finding the gates closed at 8 p.m.
The new hours, effective Monday through Friday, will start Oct. 20 for a six-month trial. There will be no change for passenger cars or pedestrian traffic.
-- Michael Gardner
Meanwhile at Calexico, California-bound truckers who do not clear customs and inspections before the port closes will no longer be forced to spend the night. The station will stay open until trucks that have started processing procedures on the Mexican side can be cleared to enter California.
"It's good for us and it's good for Mexico," said Dan Dunmoyer, who represented Schwarzenegger in talks with the Bush administration and Mexico.
The Otay Mesa Chamber of Commerce estimates that more than $30 billion in goods are shipped through the crossing annually, despite lengthy waits. More than 700,00 trucks cross every year.
"Clearly the industry will benefit from this," said Alejandra Mier y Teran, executive director of the chamber. "Hopefully it translates into a reduction in wait times and more business."
Mier y Teran said a recent San Diego Association of Governments study estimated that the San Diego and Tijuana regions lose $8 billion worth of productivity because of gridlock at the border crossings
Clearing gridlock along the U.S.-Mexico border has been a goal of governors of states in both countries for some time, Dunmoyer said.
Dunmoyer pointed out that reducing the number of idling trucks will also have a clean-air benefit. Refrigerated big-rigs, for example, must be kept running throughout the long waits. Diesel fumes from other cargo trucks also pollute the air as drivers inch forward, he said.
The new extended-hours policy was announced earlier this week by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency. Other crossings that will be improved are in El Paso and Laredo, Tex. and Nogalez, Ariz.
Posted by Michael Smolens October 9, 2008 09:28 PM
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10-10-2008, 11:52 AM #2
Are they checking all these trucks for smuggling people and drugs?
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