Lanes to be added for southbound commuters at San Ysidro Port of Entry
SAN DIEGO (Border Report) — Since November of last year, the southbound border commute at the San Ysidro Port of Entry in the evening has been as long as the morning drive into the U.S. Drivers have reported two to three hour waits nightly.
It started when the Mexican government began upgrading technology along the southbound lanes at the crossing. The construction work forced the closure of several lanes at a time, creating bottlenecks in the lanes that were available to drivers.
This also generated long backups on Interstate 5 and 805 heading into the border.
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The state of Baja California is now in the process of repairing a bridge used by commuters after they enter Mexico, and this is compounding the delays.
As a solution, the city of Tijuana has decided to reopen a few more lanes of traffic that were part of the old crossing. The lanes, known as “Mexico’s Door,” have been closed since the port of entry was remodeled almost 9 years ago.
“We’re looking at ways to make life easier for those coming back from the U.S. because they are now waiting in line up to four hours,” said Kurt Honold Morales, Baja’s secretary of economy and innovation. “Now with the work on the bridge, the lines are incredibly long.”
The new lanes will be opened on Monday, according to Honold Morales. He said, “This will help the people who cross the border daily.”
According to the San Ysidro Chamber of Commerce, 140,00 people who live in Tijuana cross the border every day to go to work on the U.S. side.
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