New lanes open at the San Ysidro border crossing

New lanes open at the San Ysidro border crossing

https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/d...2Fimg-4501.jpg[The new lanes are located on the far left of the San Ysidro garita in front of the former Puerta México
(Alexandra Mendoza/U-T en Español )


Commuters say they are noticing shorter wait times

By ALEXANDRA MENDOZA REPORTER
]DEC. 6, 2019 4:46 PM

The first four of eight new lanes scheduled to open this month at the San Ysidro Port of Entry are now operating, and border travelers say they already are noticing a difference.

On Monday, commuters waiting in Mexico on the west side of one of the busiest land border crossings said the wait time was between 15 minutes and 30 minutes, far less than they anticipated.

Regularly, that side of the port of entry is assigned for travelers with no Ready Lane or SENTRI documents, so they tend to wait longer. However, the new lanes — in front of former Puerta Mexico — are equipped so that they can be used as Ready Lanes or SENTRI lanes, if needed.

“I was surprised it was this short,” said María Martínez, who was returning to San Diego with her family after spending the holiday weekend in Tijuana.

Other commuters were reserving judgment. “Hopefully, it would be like this every day,” said Tijuana resident Raúl Luisa. “But if it is like this with just four, let’s see what happens when they all open.”

The vendors in the area noticed the new lanes opening last week and said they were surprised that the lines were so short.

https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/d...2Fimg-4508.jpg[The view this Monday, December 2, 2019 on the left side of the San Ysidro sentry box.
(Alexandra Mendoza/U-T en Español )
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An inaugural ceremony is scheduled for Dec. 17, with authorities from both sides of the border expected to be in attendance.

The opening of all eight lanes — for a total of 34 — will mark the final step in the San Ysidro Port of Entry Expansion Project, which started in 2011. It is the first major expansion in the number of border lanes since the port of entry site was constructed in 1976.

Border travelers will still have to wait until Mexico finishes its part of the project to enable easier access to the eight new lanes. Authorities south of the border must tear down the former Puerta Mexico site, which for many years served as the main entry point from San Ysidro to Tijuana.

Until then, drivers must get to the front of the line to be able to access the new lanes. An official with the Mexican government said in mid-November that the demolition project was in the works.

https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/story/2019-12-06/new-lanes-opened-at-the-san-ysidro-port-of-entry

10-year project to expand San Ysidro Port of Entry completed

Posted: 12:37 PM, Dec 17, 2019
Updated: 1:00 PM, Dec 17, 2019
By: Mary McKenzie


SAN YSIDRO, Calif. (KGTV) -- Customs and Border Protection officials Tuesday celebrated the completion of a 10-year project to expand the San Ysidro Port of Entry.

With the POE being the busiest port in the entire Western Hemisphere, officials said the $741 million expansion project was necessary to ease traffic, make the port more secure, and improve and expedite processing at the border.

The lengthy project has included a reconstruction of northbound lanes heading into the U.S. and an expansion of the PedWest bridge. Additionally, there has also been a realignment of southbound Interstate 5 lanes into Mexico.

San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer, Tijuana Mayor Arturo Gonzalez Cruz, and San Diego-based Rep. Juan Vargas were among the dignitaries who attended the ceremony to mark the project’s completion.

"We're already one of the busiest border crossings in the world with thousands of goods and people crossing every day and now we'll be able to grow our economy even more to the benefit of people on both sides of the border," Faulconer said of the San Diego-Tijuana region. "We couldn't have done this without all of us working together to advocate at the federal level for the funding to get this across the finish line."

https://www.10news.com/news/local-ne...ntry-completed