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 News from Around the Americas | October 2007 
US Officials Vow Help on Third Tijuana Crossing
 Dana Wilkie - Copley News
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Washington – State Department officials have told San Diego leaders they will try to accelerate the “presidential permit” necessary to build a third border crossing into Tijuana, with approval perhaps before next summer, San Diego officials said this week.
The permit, a joint approval from President Bush and Mexican President Felipe Calderón, is an essential prerequisite for building a new port of entry and a four-lane freeway in East Otay Mesa to relieve traffic congestion at the San Ysidro and Otay Mesa border crossings.
“We've got a commitment they're going to work with us to process a permit to approve a third border crossing by early next year,” said San Diego Association of Governments executive director Gary Gallegos, who was in Washington with local business and political leaders pressing for federal assistance for San Diego projects.
Although this approval does not ensure that the crossing will be built – the plan still lacks funding and is still under review – officials said it would grease the skids for eventual construction.
San Diego Councilman Jim Madaffer, chairman of SANDAG's transportation committee, said a top State Department official gave the delegation “a very solid assurance that we are moving in the right direction to get a permit much sooner” than expected – probably in the first half of 2008.
“I would have been happy if it was the end of 2008,” Madaffer said. “The most important piece in all of this is the presidential permit, because that's the document that states that all the federal agencies are on the same page to build this third border crossing.”
About 40 local business and political leaders went to Washington this week to push for federal help on local roads and highways, health care, anti-terrorism efforts and military priorities. The delegation, led by the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce, is meeting for three days with Bush administration officials, members of Congress and government agency higher-ups.
Border congestion has dominated the San Diego delegation's agenda.
Last year, more than 1.4 million trucks and 11.8 million passenger vehicles crossed the Otay Mesa port of entry, with waits often stretching for hours. A recent SANDAG study concluded that congestion will cost the U.S. and Mexican economies about $7.2 billion in gross output this year and more than 62,000 jobs.
The proposed third entry would be built in the unincorporated community of East Otay Mesa about two miles east of the Otay Mesa border crossing. The proposed state Route 11 would cost as much as $360 million, while the port-of-entry facility would cost as much as $300 million.
Although there is still no dedicated funding for the crossing, regional planners are considering highway tolls to defray the costs and expect to finish the first phase of an environmental study in December. Construction would not start until 2012 at the earliest. |
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