Otay Mesa Expansion, Turnstiles at San Ysidro Proposed for Border

Federal officials unveiled plans Monday for a proposed $14-million expansion of the border crossing station at Otay Mesa that could double or triple the facility’s commercial inspection capabilities.

“The need is there, clearly,” said Rep. Bill Lowery (R-San Diego), who noted that the crossing is operating near maximum capacity, processing about 700 trucks a day that enter the United States from Tijuana.

In addition, officials revealed that they hope to construct a new turnstile gate at the San Ysidro-Tijuana border crossing that would allow trolley riders who exit at the San Ysidro stop to walk into Mexico directly. Currently, passengers embarking from the trolley must climb stairs and walk over a bridge spanning Interstate 5 before entering Mexico. The idea of the new trolley gate is to encourage people to take public transportation to the border, thus easing the legendary traffic jams that now afflict San Ysidro and other border crossings.

‘Less Use of Cars’

“It’s best for this whole border if we have less use of cars and more pedestrians,” said Allan Rappoport, chief of the U.S. Customs Service in San Diego, who spoke during a news briefing at the Otay Mesa crossing.

Officials said they hope to have the new turnstiles installed by Jan. 31, the date of the Super Bowl, but Lowery conceded that it would be a “miracle” if it were done by then. The project would be relatively inexpensive--costing less than $100,000--and could be built quickly, they said. Studies are under way, but there was no word on when construction might begin.

By contrast, the proposed Otay Mesa expansion is at least two years from reality. However, officials said that it was important to purchase the needed land quickly, since property prices are rising rapidly as a result of extensive commercial development on both sides of the border at Otay Mesa.

Officials are negotiating with the owners of a 16-acre parcel on the U.S. side, directly east of the current crossing. The purchase price is estimated at $6 million; construction would cost $8 million. The expansion could double or triple the 52 docking spaces where incoming trucks are inspected by U.S. authorities.

The project has received U.S Customs Service approval and now only awaits funding, either by Congress or the U.S. General Services Administration, which administers federal office space. Federal officials said they have had extensive discussions with their Mexican counterparts about the matter and did not anticipate any problems in working out the plan with Mexico.

Coordination Needed

“For it to work,” said Lowery, “it has to be coordinated between two governments.”

The current Otay Mesa facility, situated 10 miles east of San Ysidro, is the primary point for truck traffic entering San Diego County from Mexico. An estimated $2 billion in merchandise passes through the facility each year, earning $72 million in customs fees for the U.S. Treasury. The facility was opened in February, 1985.

Since then, the Otay Mesa area has experienced a development boom, with hundreds of acres of former farmland being converted to industrial use. In Mexico, the area is a center for mostly U.S.-owned assembly plants--known as maquiladoras-- that export finished products to the United States through the Otay Mesa crossing. The continuing growth of the maquiladora program is one major reason cited to explain the need for additional space at the border-crossing station.

Apart from its commercial use, the Otay Mesa facility also plays a critical role in alleviating the non-commercial traffic crunch at San Ysidro, which U.S. authorities call the world’s busiest land border crossing.

Each day, about 6,200 non-commercial vehicles enter the United States via Otay Mesa. (About 30,000 vehicles enter the United States daily at San Ysidro.)