In an effort to streamline cross-border travel and improve transit for residents, visitors, and commuters, Mayor Ismael Burgueño Ruiz’s administration has significantly upgraded infrastructure and support services at the San Ysidro and Otay Mesa ports of entry. Highlighted in his Second State of the City Address, these initiatives are a cornerstone of the ongoing effort to transform Tijuana.
The Fast Lane Program continues to expedite entry into the United States by prioritizing medical patients, business tourists, and cross-border students, resulting in the issuance of 1,302,446 registry profiles over the past year.
Lane expansion projects at both ports successfully optimized access points to reduce wait times, encompassing 188 linear meters at San Ysidro and 300 linear meters at Otay Mesa through an investment of $832,416 pesos.
These improvements directly benefit Fast Lane’s users, which average 125,000 monthly users in San Ysidro and 3,000 in Otay Mesa, ensuring smoother daily commutes for those traveling for work, education, healthcare, and commerce.
In addition, the Tijuana City Hall executed extensive modernization, landscaping, and maintenance projects across both crossings, which collectively handle over 200,000 daily travelers to improve security.
Between October 2025 and January 2026, urban rehabilitation efforts spanned 213,473 square meters of border infrastructure.
Crews removed 90 tons of waste, restored 17,384 square meters of walls and barriers, painted 19,725 linear meters of curbs, installed 1,148 square meters of artificial turf, and set up 1,730 urban fixtures alongside 1,470 linear meters of guardrails.
Ongoing preservation work also featured the remodeling of three Fast Lane booths with upgraded technology, comprehensive maintenance across 82,474 square meters of access roads, the addition of 42 road signs, 10,230 linear meters of thermoplastic striping, 5,456 road studs and markers, and 27 new lighting fixtures.
Launched in February 2025 to provide round-the-clock security, the dedicated Roadside Assistance program operates 24/7 in the San Diego and Otay ports of entry with bilingual specialists trained in first aid, civil protection, and visitor support.
To date, the team has successfully managed over 23,147 incidents, offering essential help with minor mechanical failures, tire changes, towing coordination, turnaround assistance, first aid, and general civic information.
Further enhancing traffic flow and speeding up border crossings, a new SENTRI lane accessible via Segunda Street in Downtown Tijuana opened on November 19, 2025.
Inaugurated by Mayor Ismael Burgueño, the project is the direct result of close binational coordination with United States authorities, notably Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
The new lane currently accommodates an average of 4,200 vehicles daily, totaling 126,000 crossings per month, which accounts for roughly 23% of the 547,783 monthly crossings handled by Tijuana’s SENTRI infrastructure overall.
Mayor Ismael Burgueño Ruiz’s administration continues strengthening infrastructure and services at Tijuana’s border crossings, fostering more orderly and safe mobility for residents, visitors, and cross-border users while boosting the city’s competitiveness and economic development.
