Otay Mesa, CA

Deputy Federal Highway Administrator Andrew Rogers visited San Diego on Thursday to announce the funding for the San Diego bridge project, a 50-year-old Palm Avenue overcrossing, a key connector for the Otay-Mesa-Nestor community and only a few miles from the U.S.-Mexico border.

The funding is intended to make improvements to reduce traffic delays and increase freight movements, while reducing long-term maintenance costs.

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More than 38,000 vehicles cross the bridge every day and the White House estimated that this project will create more than $30 million in benefits from reduced congestion and traffic delays on this critical route.

The announcement followed the opening of the new West Mission Bay Drive Bridge, attended by San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria and White House Infrastructure Coordinator Mitch Landrieu.

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"This Bipartisan Infrastructure Law grant will help us upgrade this aging, 50-year-old bridge, improving traffic flow and making it safer for pedestrians, cyclists and motorists alike," Gloria said.The funding comes from the U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Highway Administration's grants of nearly $300 million for nine bridge projects in eight states and the District of Columbia.

"Ensuring we constantly invest in San Diego's infrastructure to adequately meet the needs of residents is of the utmost importance," said Rep. Juan Vargas, D-San Diego. "These $24 million in federal funds will help revitalize and improve the Palm Avenue / I-805 Bridge and will also fund other much-needed mobility projects in the surrounding area."

Specifically, the money granted Thursday will reconfigure the bridge to allow additional left turn lane space, install six-foot-wide sidewalks and separated bike lanes, realign off- and on-ramps and install bus stop sidewalk landings, among other improvements.

"Thank you to President Biden's Administration for the $24 million infrastructure investment in our community," said Nora Vargas, chairwoman of the San Diego County Board of Supervisors. "These types of investments from our federal government are critical so that we can advance projects that improve the safety and quality of life for all San Diegans."

Vice President Kamala Harris announced the grants at the Arland D. Williams Jr. Memorial Bridge in Washington, D.C.

"When bridges have to close for repairs — or worse, begin to fail — it can cut off access to an entire community, adding hours to commutes, costing money for local businesses, and delaying first responders from getting to an emergency," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

"The grant awards we're announcing today are helping communities of all sizes modernize their bridges so that school buses, delivery trucks, ambulances, and commuters can get where they need to go quickly and safely."

The bridge project in San Diego is expected to reduce traffic delays and improve freight movement, and reduce maintenance costs. It is estimated to create over $30 million in benefits from reduced congestion and traffic delays, according to a statement from the U.S. Department of Transportation.

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SAN DIEGO (Border Report) — The White House on Thursday announced that it is awarding $1.5 billion in grants for 26 transportation projects nationwide, including the planned Otay Mesa East Port of Entry in south San Diego, which is getting $150 million during this first round of funding.

The money is part of the Infrastructure for Rebuilding America grant program, or INFRA, which is being funded by President Joe Biden’s Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

Over the next five years, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will provide approximately $8 billion for the INFRA projects.

According to the Department of Transportation, the money is to be used for “highway, multimodal freight and rail projects that will make the nation’s transportation systems safer and more resilient, eliminate supply chain bottlenecks, and improve critical freight movements.”

“Today we are announcing transformative investments in our nation’s roads, bridges, ports, and rail to improve the way Americans get around and help lower the costs of shipping goods,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “Using funding from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we are able to support more excellent community-led projects this year than ever before.”

Administrators behind the Otay Mesa East Port of Entry and Highway 11, which will connect the border crossing to the rest of San Diego’s transportation grid, said the money will ensure the project gets done on time.

“This is the missing link to our financial package,” said Maria Rodriguez, project development program manager for the San Diego Association of Governments. “This really puts it together and closes the loop around the funding to take us to the final construction.”

The project carries an overall budget of $1.1 billion.

“Without this, we would be scratching our heads and trying to find an additional source of funding, we are ready to proceed 100 percent,” Rodriguez said.

The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) is in charge of the port of entry’s construction along with the completion of Highway 11.

“When you get the biggest INFRA grant in the nation it shows how much the federal government is supporting the Otay Mesa East and State Route 11 project,” said Mario Orso, chief deputy district director of capital for Caltrans’ District 11. “It’s money that now the state of California and SANDAG will not have to go get, and if we would’ve gotten the money we would’ve had to pay interest and now we won’t.”

One of the conditions of the grant is that part of the money is spent on charging stations for federal vehicles to be used in the port of entry.

A California Highway Patrol weigh station and inspection area will also be built with the money to ensure commercial trucks meet safety and clean-air standards.

“We have already invested $600 million basically on the right of way and transportation facility, now we’re starting to prep the port property,” said Orso. “That’s huge news, it’s helping us get closer to constructing the port of entry,”

According to Orso, the plan is to start building the actual facility next year and have it ready to go by September 2024.

OTAY MESA —

Construction of the new Otay Mesa border crossing will receive $150 million in federal money.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg will announce Thursday that the Biden administration will allocate a total of $1.5 billion from the Infrastructure to Rebuild America program for projects that “strengthen supply chains, help make goods more affordable, and are located in rural areas and historically disadvantaged communities.”

A chunk of that money will go toward the new port of entry, known as Otay Mesa East or Otay II, that is under construction between California and Mexico.

“Today we are announcing transformative investments for the nation’s roads, bridges, ports and rail to improve the way Americans get around, as well as help lower the costs of shipping freight,” Buttigieg said in a statement.

Last week, U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif) announced the U.S. Department of Transportation will allocate $150 million to the new port, one of 26 projects nationwide to benefit from the federal money.

Unlike other ports of entry, such as San Ysidro, this new gateway will require a fee that will guarantee an average wait time of 20 minutes.

The Otay Mesa East border crossing will initially have 10 lanes — five for passenger vehicles and five for trucks — with the option to interchange them depending on demand.

“These funds are crucial to move construction along,” Rep. Juan Vargas (D-San Diego) said in a statement.

The Otay Mesa East project includes both construction of the new port of entry and a roadway network in the area.

It also includes inspection equipment for Customs and Border Protection personnel, zero-emission chargers for staff vehicles, and a commercial vehicle screening facility to be used by the California Highway Patrol and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.

U.S. and Mexican authorities have said the new entry will be ready by 2024.

Last month, Padilla, a member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, visited the site where the port of entry is being built.

He was accompanied by San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria, as well as officials from the California Department of Transportation and the San Diego Association of Governments.

“Modernizing our land ports of entry is critical for improving the efficiency of cross-border travel that is an engine of California’s economy,” Padilla said in a statement. “It is important to invest in our border region as we work to recover equitably from the COVID-19 pandemic and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” he added.

In August, leaders from both sides of the border gathered on the U.S. side of the construction site to celebrate a groundbreaking.

It is estimated that each year the increasing border wait times cost Mexico and the United States a combined $3.4 billion in economic output and more than 88,000 jobs, California Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis said at the time.

“The Otay Mesa East port of entry is one of California’s highest priority infrastructure projects,” California Gov. Gavin Newsom said. “A state-of-the-art facility that will reduce wait times, curb greenhouse gas emissions, power economic growth, enhance regional mobility and bolster international trade along the busiest border region in the Western Hemisphere.”

Officials envision improved transit in area that will include a new port of entry

OTAY MESA —

The last link of a South County roadway network that seeks to improve mobility in the border region is complete. Now construction of the much-awaited second border crossing at Otay Mesa will follow.

Caltrans and SANDAG representatives, along with federal, state, local and Mexican officials, celebrated on Tuesday the completion of the southbound state Route 125 to westbound SR-905 freeway connector in Otay Mesa. The new connector marks the completion of the SR-125, SR-905 and SR-11 highway network.

SANDAG and Caltrans officials expect the new connector will open to traffic sometime next week.

It also improves traffic flow and access and creates a seamless connection between border communities and the rest of San Diego region, said SANDAG Chair and Encinitas Mayor, Catherine Blakespear.

“We can more efficiently move people and goods throughout the region and doing so we are able to alleviate traffic congestion and travel delays, improving travel times and air quality for our border communities,”Blakespear said during the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

This $28.9 million project was partially funded with the Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017.

“This is a very important milestone,” said Caltrans District 11 Director Gustavo Dallarda. “Now, we are ready to build the actual Otay Mesa East port of entry.”

Prep-work on the U.S. side will begin next month with the goal of completing construction by September 2024, or sooner, if possible.

The new port of entry, also known as Otay II, will have 10 lanes for passenger vehicles and commercial trucks, with the option for these lanes to be interchangeable depending on time and demand.

Unlike other border crossings, such as San Ysidro or the existing one in Otay Mesa, the new port of entry will require a toll that will be collected upon exiting the inspection point on the U.S. side. Revenue will be divided between the U.S. and Mexico.

Toll price will vary depending on demand, and it will guarantee an average waiting time of 20 minutes or less, Dallarda said.

On the Mexican side, the project is also moving forward to deliver within the timeframe agreed by both countries, said Carlos González Gutiérrez, the Consul General of Mexico in San Diego.

“The Mexican government is doing its part, aware that here in the U.S. construction is slated to begin next month,” he said.

Rep. Juan Vargas (D-San Diego) praised the binational collaboration. “It’s incredible to see what can be achieved when both of our countries come together on a united front.

“The Otay Mesa East port of entry will help achieve the bold new vision for transforming the way people and goods move throughout our region by improving regional mobility, bolstering binational trade, and fueling economic growth for both the U.S. and Mexico,” Vargas said.

Lane is used by those with a special pass under the Fast Lane program

By Alexandra Mendoza

TIJUANA —

A third border booth opened Wednesday for users of the Fast Lane crossing program created for U.S. residents traveling to Tijuana for medical or business purposes.

The Fast Lane program began more than a decade ago to encourage medical tourism in Tijuana. Doctors enrolled in the program can ask for a single-use pass that allows their patients to cross the border back into the United States through a special lane where the wait is shorter.

Years later, the program was expanded to include business people, chambers of commerce, companies and non-governmental organizations that promote economic development.

The issuance of these passes increased from 138,000 to 296,000 in the last year, according to Mexican authorities. This 114 percent increase represents an approximate collection of 80 million pesos, according to a press release.

This new booth is the first to open at the Otay Mesa border crossing (access through Boulevard de las Bellas Artes) and the third in total. It will operate from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Sunday. The other two fast lane crossing points are at the San Ysidro border crossing. The booths are on the Mexican side of the border crossings.

“(Users) will have an easy, agile and, above all, stress-free crossing,” said Tijuana Mayor Montserrat Caballero during the inauguration ceremony of the new fast lane.

“It fills us with optimism and satisfaction to be able to provide — with this type of project — benefits in terms of mobility, economic development, environment and, above all, to encourage medical tourism in this city” she added.

The first person to use the new lane was a woman resident of Chula Vista who said she had gone for a medical appointment at the Hospital Angeles de Tijuana.

Under this program, health care providers, dentists or business organizations purchase the passes from the city of Tijuana in order to give them free of charge to patients or business people residing on the other side of the border.

For medical service providers, each pass costs 287.70 pesos (about $15), and for the business sector it is 575.40 pesos (about $30).

About 2,000 medical service providers in Tijuana offer the service of granting medical passes to their patients, said Abraham Sanchez, director of the Medical Health Cluster of Tijuana.

“Many doctors, as part of their advertising, put ‘we have a medical pass for patient service,’” he noted. “That is a plus for us (...) if we have a medical pass. It increases the number of patients who visit us.”

Sanchez estimated that about 90 percent of the passes issued as part of the program are used by people traveling for medical reasons.

Similarly, the business sector seeks to attract investment in the city by offering a quick return for people traveling for business purposes and living in the United States.

“There are certain chambers that issue you this pass because they have business meetings,” said Francisco Rubio, president of the Business Coordinating Council in Tijuana. “It’s complicated for a business person to come to a meeting and have to do three or four hours (back to the United States).”

In October 2019, an investigation by the Tijuana municipal government detected some irregularities in the use of the lane, including people paying for passes when they should have been free for patients.

Caballero said they remain vigilant to ensure the proper use of the program. She added that, at the beginning of her administration, which will be one year old in the next few days, many medical passes were pulled from people “who had no reason to have them.”

“We have been withdrawing them, re-engineering who should and who should not have a medical pass.”