U.S. General Services Administration
GSA Accepts Donation of Transportation-Related Infrastructure at the Calexico East Land Port of Entry
Construction projects to improve vehicular, pedestrian crossing infrastructure
CALEXICO, Calif. – The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) announced that it has used the GSA Administrator’s gift acceptance authority to receive transportation-related infrastructure from the Imperial County Transportation Commission (ICTC). The donation would permit the ICTC to conduct critical infrastructure improvements, repairs and upgrade projects, including the expansion of the northbound bridge that traverses the All-American Canal, just south of the Calexico East Land Port of Entry (LPOE). These projects entail:
- Expanding the existing northbound bridge by adding four additional lanes for a total of eight lanes - four privately owned vehicle lanes and four commercial vehicle lanes; this includes a new 8 foot shoulder lane for disabled vehicles
- Improving pedestrian facilities, including the installation of permanent fencing to provide a safety barrier between the pedestrian path and vehicle traffic lanes
The total cost of the project is expected to be approximately $32.5 million, the majority of which is funded through state and federal grants, such as the federal government’s Better Utilizing Infrastructure to Leverage Development program and the State of California’s Trade Corridor Enhancement Program grants. This project exemplifies GSA’s commitment to partnering with local agencies and being a good neighbor in the communities it serves. It also highlights the agency’s strategic project planning that would reinvest in much needed infrastructure while providing the best value to the American taxpayer.
"GSA is pleased to partner with ICTC to deliver enhanced economic opportunity to the Imperial Valley region with this important project,” said GSA’s Pacific Rim Region Acting Regional Administrator Dan Brown. “We look forward to providing our federal agencies added capacity to conduct their critical missions at the Calexico East port."
In addition to improving critical infrastructure at the port, the ICTC project will increase pedestrian safety and increase northbound vehicular traffic queueing capacity. In particular, the new shoulder lane would allow for the removal of disabled vehicles from active northbound vehicular traffic lanes.
“ICTC is pleased to be the lead agency to deliver the project to GSA,” said ICTC Executive Director Mark Baza. “The project will reduce congestion on the bridge, provide safety, air quality benefits and economic benefits as trucks currently crossing at this port carry an estimated $17 billion in exports and imports, annually.”
ICTC is the regional transportation agency responsible for long-range transportation planning and for providing transit services and regional highway projects in Imperial County (Calif.). For this project, ICTC has partnered with Caltrans and the Federal Highway Administration to complete environmental clearance and project approvals. In March 2021, ICTC awarded a design-build contract to Hazard Construction and Mark Thomas Company for design and construction. The design phase is in progress and construction is scheduled to start in February 2022 and be complete in Spring 2023.
"Having these additional commercial and privately owned vehicle lanes and other pedestrian-area improvements at the port increases our capacity to conduct operations and provide enhanced safety for the traveling public,” said Pete Flores, U.S. Department of Homeland Security - Customs and Border Protection, Director of Field Operations, San Diego Field Office.