Celebrating San Ysidro's shorter lines

[DaNGeROuS KiLLeR]

TIJUANA — Since the expansion of vehicle inspection booths at the San Ysidro Port of Entry, overall wait times at the busy border crossing dropped from 60 to 75 percent when compared with the same period last year, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

 

After years of congestion — and peak weekend waits that could stretch to four hours or more — the drop in the vehicle wait times since rebuilt lanes opened in mid-September has been creating hope for more jobs, increased tourism and greater educational and cultural exchanges.

 

 

“The residents of this region have long yearned for this,” Tijuana Mayor Jorge Astiazaran said Monday during a mid morning ceremony at the port, pointing out short lines of waiting vehicles in the general lanes outside. The scene would have been unthinkable just a couple of months ago at the busy port, where 11 million entering vehicles were processed in fiscal 2014 — one of every eight personal vehicles that entered the United States.

 

The gathering inside the new head house overlooking the port included diplomats, legislators and business leaders who applauded completion of a key phase in the $741 million reconstruction of the San Ysidro port. It includes not only the expansion of northbound inspection capacity to 25 lanes with 46 booths, but also the rebuilding of the secondary inspection area, the opening of a narcotics building and auto seizure area, and the construction of a structure for port operations.

 

 

Since all rebuilt lanes were opened in mid-September, drivers in the general lanes have seen the shortest lines in years. Peak weekend waits that could stretch to two to four hours are frequently down to 40 minutes.

 

The drop in overall wait times were cited for drivers in the general lanes and Ready Lanes (drivers with U.S. passport cards and other radio-frequency identification documents). Pete Flores, director of field operations for CBP in San Diego, also said that “we have seen a tick up in the number of crossers,” while the numbers of northbound drivers at the Stay Mesa border crossing has dropped, suggesting that some drivers are now switching where they cross.

 

Among those crossing Monday morning was Santiago Duarte, who was heading from Tijuana to his job in San Diego. “It’s less stress; you’re a lot happier,” said Duarte, all smiles behind the wheel of his car. His wait in the general lanes Monday was about 25 minutes, a far cry from previous wait times of up to 3½ hours.

 

The reconstruction of the port of entry is a three-phase project being overseen by the U.S. General Services Administration. Congress has funded two of the phases, and President Barack Obama has included $216 million for the final phase in his proposed budget for fiscal 2015.