Guest Column
Relieving Border Congestion
Tijuana News
Fronera NorteSur
- April 16, 2008
Lengthy waits, lost time and frayed nerves have been the order of the day for many people attempting to cross into the United States from Mexico at land ports of entry in recent years. From Matamoros to Tijuana, border residents complain of lost business and reduced tourism because of tightened US security procedures. Added traffic congestion on international bridges also has consequences for the environment and public health as automobiles spew more contaminants into already-stressed border air basins. To address the problem, authorities from both the US and Mexico are discussing adding new international bridges and ports of entry at several locations along their common 2,000-mile frontier.
In Baja California, state officials have announced that two new customs lanes and booths will be built at the Tijuana-San Ysidro Port of Entry beginning in June. According to Baja California Governor Jose Guadalupe Osuna Millan, the Mexican federal government plans to invest approximately $6 million in the project. Governor Osuna informed representatives of the California state government of the Mexican government’s intentions at a recent meeting.
Tijuana Mayor Jose Ramos Hernandez welcomed the news. Mayor Ramos said the current local border crossing infrastructure was surpassed 12 years ago by increased commerce and visitation in the region. According to the border mayor, 40,000 jobs have been lost in Tijuana due to the extra congestion. Public insecurity, exemplified by the narco war raging away in the borderlands, is another factor in lost tourism, according to other sources. Tijuana was one of the places mentioned in an updated US State Department travel advisory issued this month.
According to a Mexican press story, border crossings at the San Ysidro-Tijuana Port of entry dropped in 2007. On average, 50,000 vehicles and 25,000 pedestrians reportedly made the crossing every day last year. In 2006, the daily numbers reported were 65,000 vehicles and 35,000 pedestrians.
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Sources: El Paso Times, April 14, 2008. Article by Louie Gilot. El Universal, April 13, 2008. Article by Louie Gilot.
Frontera NorteSur (FNS): on-line, U.S.-Mexico border news Center for Latin American and Border Studies New Mexico State University Las Cruces, New Mexico
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