The only solution that the GSA finds is doable, among the many that have been proposed for months, is one in which four lanes are set apart from the space emptied by the old southbound Puerta Mexico entry to later build a temporary "curve" that diverts traffic form the 5 Freeway towards the west right on the other side of the border fence, through a wide alley behind the Mexican customs offices and so take those four lanes coming from the U.S. towards the 22 booths entering Mexico in El Chaparral.
Riesgo warns that "the GSA will never build a project that makes everything worse" and that is not a good partial solution while Phase 3 and 2 are finished. Environmental and feasibility studies will have to be carried out for the "Curve" solution, and if they're positive, will begin construction at the end of 2012 or early 2013. Funding for this could come from the substantial savings that have come out off construction for Phase 1, and would cost no more than $2.5 million dollars, which we is why there wouldn't be many obstacles from the financial point of view.
But, the big caveat that this alternate route called the "Curve" has, is that it wont be ready until mid 2013, at the earliest, which is why an inmidiate solution can't be any other thing besides keeping the current Puerta Mexico entry open for as long as possible.
The issue of keeping Puerta Mexico open after the October 2012 deadline is one for the diplomats of both countries, who necessarily must make modifications to a treaty signed between Mexico and the U.S. that stipulates that the area of where Puerta Mexico currently is, must be handed over to the American government so as to continue with the San Ysidro Border expansion.
There has been some talk about the fact that the 14 lanes crossing into the U.S., to be built on the land vacated by the Puerta Mexico, may not be built right now, which leaves the possibility of the current entry into Mexico remaining open.
Alternate funding?
Another widely discussed solution is that of looking for alternate sources of funding for both Phase 2 and Phase 3 of the project to expand San Ysidro, which could come from:
NADBANK, the North American Development Bank, which was made precisely to better the quality of life in the border regions through infrastructure and environmental projects. The problem is that there is a limit to the amount of money that can be spent of any project.
Private investors could lend a hand for Phase 3, the most crucial in the short term. But, the economic financial crisis has made this possibility remote, especially considering the instability in Europe.
The Mexican government itself could invest n the I-5 connection bridge, which would be approximately $300 million dollars. When it comes to searching for an alternative to the U.S. government, this has been thought out as the most feasible.
None of these solutions would be easy since the U.S. Congress assigns funding strictly for certain projects and those projects must follow the law as to where they can receive funding from. Approving any foreign funding for the rest of the expansion would be, at best, politically unpopular on both sides of the border, and would require tiresome modifications to the law.
Business Conexión will be on hand for any new information about the project in general, be it about the financing for the two remaining phases, of the results of the feasibility study for the "Curve" or if the Puerta Mexico port of entry will remain open, even with El Chaparral completed.
On the American side, the GSA is in charge of the expansion:
The GSA (General Service Administration) is the government agency in charge of all necessary infrastructure and services for the federal government and its agencies to function, from buildings, to bridges to even international border ports of entry. Its involvement in the San Ysidro Border expansion project includes all of its phases, such as the much talked about 5 Freeway bridge connections.
The GSA's current completion times for the Phases:
Phase 1: September 2009 February 2014
Phase 2: April 2014 April 2016
Phase 3: pending funding from Congress
