U.S. General Services Administration
GSA Doubles Pedestrian Inspection Capacity at Tecate Land Port of Entry
By Javier Fernandez
The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) Pacific Rim Region, in conjunction with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), recently completed construction on a project that doubled the number of northbound pedestrian inspection booths at the Tecate Land Port of Entry (LPOE). The $664,000 project increases operational efficiency at the port and provides CBP officers with new, modern inspection booths that allow them to fulfill security and inspection mission requirements.
Eclipsed by both the San Ysidro and Otay Mesa LPOEs, the Tecate LPOE is the third and smallest border crossing facility of the greater San Diego - Tijuana metropolitan region. It is also the most remote port in San Diego County, located about 40 miles southeast of San Diego. Despite its modest size and remote location, the Tecate LPOE plays an important role in facilitating the lawful crossing for hundreds of people who pass through the port daily.
“It was rewarding to work with GSA to ensure the project met our needs and keep the historic qualities of the building,” said Pete Flores, CBP’s director of field operations in San Diego. “CBP officers at Tecate now have upgraded systems, more secure workstations, and increased capacity to process travelers and citizens.”
This project is a perfect example of the continued collaborative working relationship between GSA and CBP,” said GSA Project Manager, Wayne Hughes. “Together with CBP, we identified many low-cost, high-impact project benefits, and coordinated with them to ensure that the work was conducted during low traffic hours to further limit any disruptive impact the work would have on their operations.”
The new booths were installed inside the main lobby of the pedestrian building. The last port expansion project was completed in 2005, considerably increasing the port’s footprint to better accommodate the 2.8 million people who cross the border every year.