San Ysidro Port Is Bracing for 4-Lane Closure : Border: An 18-month-long project to remove asbestos could mean an even longer wait at the already congested crossing.

Asbestos insulation must be removed from the port of entry at San Ysidro, the world’s busiest land border crossing, forcing the shutdown of four traffic lanes for 18 months beginning next year, government officials say.

The planned lane shutdowns, revealed to area officials and business leaders last month, has set off alarm bells along both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border.

The San Ysidro port of entry was traversed last year by 50.5 million people, an average of almost 1 million a week, and 13 million vehicles. It is considered a commercial and cultural lifeline between San Diego and Tijuana, a binational metropolitan area of more than 4 million people.

The much-maligned, 24-lane facility is the site of monumental traffic tie-ups--particularly during weekends and holiday periods--that often force motorists to wait two hours or more before entering the United States from Mexico. Few issues raise ire along the border area as quickly as the traffic jams that develop as motorists await U.S. Customs inspections.

“This (the shutdown) is going to have a dramatic impact,” said Dann Pegg, former president of the Border Trade Alliance, a group representing industries on both sides of the border. “I think it’s a very poor use of resources.”

Al Reese, a spokesman for the San Diego Convention & Visitors Bureau, added: “I think this is going to exacerbate an already difficult traffic situation at San Ysidro.”

In fact, San Diego and Tijuana business leaders have been seeking construction of a third border crossing, to the west of San Ysidro, but the proposal faces huge engineering, environmental and funding obstacles.

The issue of the temporary lane closures at San Ysidro was raised Friday during a visit to San Diego by U.S. Customs Commissioner Carol Boyd Hallett, who met with business leaders.

The asbestos removal, part of renovation of the 17-year-old San Ysidro facility, is being undertaken by the U.S. General Services Administration. Planners labored to devise a method that would minimize disruption, said Mary Filippini, a GSA spokeswoman in San Francisco.

“There’s no question that this is an inconvenience, but I don’t know how else to do this project,” Filippini said. “The asbestos needs to be removed, and I don’t think that later would be any better.”

Asbestos fibers, once widely used as a fire-retardant and insulator, have been linked to lung cancer and other pulmonary disorders. The fibers have been removed from schools, libraries and other public and private buildings nationwide in recent years, often at a high cost and with considerable disruption.

At San Ysidro, the likely result appears to be even greater traffic tie-ups, particularly as the number of legal border crossers continues to increase. Last year’s 50.5 million border crossings is 11% higher than the previous year, and the numbers are expected to continue rising.

The asbestos removal is to begin in January and last for 18 months, said Filippini. The work will be done in four-lane sections, she said, with crews working 16 hours a day.

It should take three months to complete work on each four-lane section, Filippini said. The lanes must be closed to facilitate removal of the hazardous fibers from the sprawling port building, which sits above the traffic lanes, officials said.

The $9-million renovation project will also include the construction of a new, 18-lane pedestrian entrance. Also planned is the installation and an improved air-circulation system to disperse the vehicle fumes that have plagued border inspectors.

U.S. border officials say they will work to minimize the disruption, but they acknowledge that they are limited by a lack of staff and and the facility’s physical constraints.

“We’re looking for ways to avoid the delays,” said Allan Rappoport, district director in San Diego for the U.S. Customs Service.

In recent years, Rappoport and the Customs Service have often been criticized for not facilitating border traffic. Some critics have maintained that Customs has been so interested in boosting border drug seizures that it hasn’t paid enough attention to the smooth flow of traffic.

Rappoport has heatedly rejected the criticism, contending that he has done the best he can with his limited staff of 352 inspectors, who are spread out along the entire California-Mexico border area.

Because of the San Ysidro work, Customs officials are looking into the possibility of moving up the opening date of four new lanes under construction at the smaller Otay Mesa port of entry, 7 miles east of the San Ysidro facility. The 5-year-old Otay Mesa port, which now has nine lanes, is scheduled to expand to 13 lanes in July, 1991.

However, Rappoport acknowledged that many border crossers, particularly visitors, do not know how to find the Otay Mesa port, which limits its effectiveness as an alternative.