Mexican and U.S. Officials Confirm that Otay Mesa II Crossing will charge toll

"Puerta Mexico" crossing is scheduled to open in 2014

TIJUANA.- Representatives of the Mexican and U.S. government have confirmed that the Otay Mesa II crossing (Otay Mesa East) will break ground with construction as soon as studies justifying the necessity of the project are completed. This is according to Manuel Morales, of SIDUE - the State Infrastructure and Urban Development Secretariat- during a recent binational group planning session on the topic of bridges and international ports of entry that took place in the El Cubo museum located in Tijuana's cultural center.

"The investment by Mexico will be of approximately two billion pesos from private and public investment, between 2015 and 2017. The port of entry will charge a toll, and the U.S. government is in the process of obtaining land for the project, as is Mexico via the national land administration INDAABIN", this according to Guevara Morales.

He stated that the Otay Mesa II crossing is one of the strategic projects being pushed by Baja Governor Francisco Vega de la Madrid, who also pushed for this meeting, which was organized by the Secretary of Foreign Relations and Department of State, to take place in Baja California.

"All three levels of government are committed to this new border crossing, and are conscientious about economic losses as a result of long border waits, which will be alleviated with this new crossing," according to the state functionary.

Another important announcement at this meeting, according to Manuel Guevara, is the construction of the I-5 freeway connection to the Chaparral border crossing, which is set to initiate in 2015, and will be administered by the General Service Administration, and requires an investment of 227 million dollar. Once concluded in 2018, this will eliminate the use of the provisional ninety degree curve that is currently leading to the border crossing. Fourteen express lanes will lead to the Chaparral crossing and will be managed by the Mexican INDAABIN and the Secretary of Transportation (SCT) departments.

A two-way pedestrian border crossing in the Chaparral area was also announced at this meeting, and is set break ground next year and conclude in 2016.

Guevara Morales informed us that construction on the federal office building at the Puerta Mexico East building is scheduled to conclude August of this year. This project represents an investment of over 50 million pesos by the State Government, and will be administered and operated by INDAABIN. After the offices have been installed, the new crossing is expected to begin operations December of this year.

Finally, Morales highlighted the fact that the reason why these initiatives are so important to the State Government and to Francisco Vega is because these projects will make this region more competitive and dynamic, and these goals will be achieved once these important projects are concluded.

Also present at this meeting were Alejandro Chacon Dominguez, General Administrator of Mexico Customs Agency; Soraya Jimenez, National President of INDAAVIN; Ana Luisa Faje, General Director of the North American Secretary of Foreign Relations; Marco Frias, Adjunct Director of the Department of Transportation Highway Development team; Silvia Grijalva, Administrative Director of the Federal Highway Administration; Laurie Berman, President of Caltrans District 11; Peter Marigliano, Coordinator of Border Issues for the U.S. Department of State; Ramon Riesgo, Border Program Director for the General Services Administration, as well as representatives of the ten border states and other functionaries from both sides of the border.

Editorial@sandiegored.com

borderzonie@gmail.com

Comments

  • Facebook

  • SanDiegoRed

 
 
  • New

  • Best

    Recent News more

    Subir
    Advertising