New U.S. Consulate in Juárez, among largest in world, to open in fall
By Aileen B. Flores / El Paso Times
Article Launched: 07/10/2008 12:00:00 AM MDT


The new U.S. Consulate complex in Juárez is expected to open this fall.
The consulate will move to the new location in September, officials said. The new offices will be at Paseo de la Victoria, near Ejercito Nacional, said Silvio Gonzalez, the public affairs officer for the consulate.

According to Terry Willis, marketing director at Caddell Construction Co. Inc., the new building will be one of the largest U.S. consulates in the world with 179,000 square feet of office space on a 10-acre site. More than 22,000 cubic meters of concrete was used in the construction.

Caddell Construction was contracted to build the $66 million complex.

Gonzalez said the new location will provide a secure and efficient environment to serve U.S. citizens and the thousands of Mexican visa applicants.

The new consulate is predicted to process between 1,600 and 2,000 visa applications a day with more than 100 windows open to the public. ÊÊ

This new consulate will also serve as a platform to further promote U.S.-Mexico binational cooperation in areas such as trade, border security, environment, education and cultural exchanges, Gonzalez said.

The new consulate was built in what was a sparsely developed section of Juárez that has seen explosive growth in the construction of new hotels and residential neighborhoods, Willis said.

Aileen B. Flores may be reached at aflores@elpasotimes.com; 546-6362.


http://www.elpasotimes.com/news/ci_9832161