Cost, Soil Tests Delay Start on New Border Checkpoint

Plans for a major new U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint on northbound Interstate 5 near San Clemente are moving forward, but construction of the mammoth facility is still at least two or three years away, a top agency official said Wednesday.

The major roadblock is the estimated $30-million price tag, about double what authorities estimated when the plan was unveiled two years ago.

“That’s a big chunk of money,” said Steve Niblet, a Border Patrol deputy chief in Washington. “The biggest problem with this will be the funding.”

Also, a series of soil tests have yet to be completed to determine the suitability of the 5-acre site, which is on Camp Pendleton about 5 miles south of the existing checkpoint, Niblet said.

Border Patrol officials are eager to build the checkpoint to bolster the detection of smugglers driving north on Interstate 5 with loads of illegal aliens or drugs.

The checkpoint will feature 16 lanes fanning off the main highway, allowing an expanded contingent of Border Patrol inspectors to survey vehicles as they pass.

Under the existing system, the four-lane road becomes a virtual bottleneck at the checkpoint, narrowing to two lanes. On busy days, traffic heading north backs up for miles, causing fender-bender accidents and frustration for weary motorists.

Moreover, the Border Patrol often is forced to shut the checkpoint during peak hours because of the heavy traffic, allowing smugglers to drive through undetected.

“We keep it up as long as we possibly can on big weekends, but as soon as we close down, the aliens and narcotics start coming across,” Niblet said, noting that smugglers send out scouts to determine if the checkpoint is being manned.

Border Patrol officials contend that the new checkpoint would virtually eliminate the traffic jams that periodically dog the operation, allowing the checkpoint to stay open during the heavy periods.