U.S. General Services Administration
GSA, CBP Announce Change to Northbound Pedestrian Crossing at San Ysidro Port of Entry
Travelers encouraged to use new PedWest facility as east side capacity decreases
June 30, 2016
SAN YSIDRO, Calif. -- Today the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced changes to northbound pedestrian processing at the San Ysidro Land Port of Entry (LPOE) beginning in mid-July. On Friday, July 15, 2016 at approximately 12:00 p.m. CBP will begin operations at PedWest, the new pedestrian processing facility on the west side of the port in conjunction with the opening of the new Virginia Avenue Transit Center. In addition, northbound pedestrian processing capacity on the east side of the port will be reduced from 14 lanes to six to accommodate the demolition of the existing pedestrian building and the construction of a new 102,000-square-foot building during GSA’s Phase 2 construction project. This construction will begin in August and is scheduled for completion in the fall 2019.
“We are extremely pleased to be able to deliver the new PedWest facility and the adjoining Virginia Avenue Transit Center to the San Diego / Tijuana region. The PedWest facility provides the additional pedestrian processing capacity needed to support the region while GSA moves forward with the next phase of the port’s modernization and expansion project,” said Anthony Kleppe, GSA Regional Land Port of Entry Program Manager. “In addition, the new PedWest facility provides CBP with the state-of-the-art pedestrian facility needed to support their critical mission.”
PedWest is a new bi-directional pedestrian crossing on the west side of the San Ysidro LPOE with twelve northbound processing lanes and two reversible lanes. This PedWest facility will provide northbound pedestrian crossing from Mexico’s El Chaparral Inspection Station beginning on July 15th.
PedWest will be open 24 hours per day, seven days a week to process northbound travelers into the United States. Since the PedWest facility is part of the San Ysidro Port of Entry, a class A port of entry, CBP will accept all types of travelers and continue to provide the service and benefits available at the main facility. We will be able to accept all three kinds of pedestrian traffic at both locations, Secure Electronic Network for Travelers Rapid Inspection (SENTRI), Ready Lane, and General. During the construction CBP is committed to dedicating officers to keep the same number of lanes open during peak hours that would have been possible before construction.
“We are excited to be able to operate this new border crossing,” said San Diego CBP Director of Field Operations Pete Flores. “Modernizing the pedestrian process will allow CBP officers to more efficiently carry out our national security mission and improve the traveler’s cross border experience.”
The Virginia Avenue Transit Center, located adjacent to PedWest, is a new multimodal transit center designed to accommodate taxis, buses, and privately owned vehicles dropping off and picking up passengers at the port. Located just .6 miles west of the San Ysidro Transit Center, travelers will have the option of using the port’s pedestrian bridge, taxi service, or mass transit provided by the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) once crossing into the United States. This facility was a collaborative effort between the U.S. federal government, Caltrans, the City of San Diego, MTS, and the San Diego Association of Governments.
“The Metropolitan Transit System has two bus routes serving the Virginia Avenue Transit Center that will provide access to the Trolley,” said Mark Olson, MTS Public Relations Specialist. “Bus Route 907 is a five-minute trip to the San Ysidro Transit Center and Bus Route 906 is a 20 minute trip to the Iris Avenue Transit Center. MTS passengers entering the United States from Mexico at the San Ysidro Port of Entry should plan ahead and prepare for longer travel times to access Trolley and bus services during Phase 2.
“GSA will continue to work closely with local stakeholders and our counterparts in Mexico as we complete the final two phases of the port’s modernization and expansion project,” said Kleppe.
The San Ysidro Land Port of Entry is the busiest land border crossing in the Western Hemisphere; Over 70,000 northbound vehicle passengers and 20,000 pedestrians cross the border daily, linking the communities of Tijuana and San Diego in a vibrant binational region. GSA is conducting a complete reconfiguration and expansion of the port to accommodate an anticipated growth in vehicle and pedestrian traffic and to better meet the changing needs of the federal inspection agencies and the traveling public.
For more information about the San Ysidro Land Port of Entry expansion and renovation project, visit www.gsa.gov/sanysidro.
For information about San Diego Metropolitan Transit System, visit: www.sdmts.com
Join the conversation @USGSA @CustomsBorder #EconomicCatalyst #PedWest #VATC #SanYsidroLPOE #ElChaparral #Tijuana #SanDiego
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Contacts:
Traci Madison (GSA), traci.madison@gsa.gov
Angelica De Cima (CBP), angelica.d.decima@cbp.dhs.gov
Mark Olson (MTS), mark.olson@sdmts.com