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bkbend
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During times of high traffic volume I've seen the police directing traffic at that Alto sign preventing the right turn from the east into the
sentri/ready lanes. You would need to continue west and make a U-turn to get into the end of the line for a left turn into sentri/ready. I think they
do it when the sentri/ready lines back up to the turn and becomes a bit of a cluster. I the photo above you can see the police car sitting there but
it appears they are allowing the right turn entry.
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PaulW
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You cannot see the cop car blocking your right turn at the stop sign into Sentri or Ready. The co[ will direct you westbound.
If you are coming from the east you have to go straight and do a U-turn. Traffic will block you so you will be in bad shape.
Way better to skip the turn on to the airport road and go north to the border road then go east to the left turn ito Sentri/Ready.
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path Quote: Originally posted by Purdyd  | These are great maps to the Mexicali east border crossing.
But if you come in from the east can you turn right into the global sentri lane?
Is it marked?
Google maps ain’t exactly clear on how that works and it looks to be setup for a left turin coming in from the west?
I’ll be coming back through in May and haven’t driven across that border crossing in well, a long time.
Sorry I see it now, I assume right at the alto sign.
[Edited on 4-18-2022 by Purdyd] |
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mjs
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The Ready lane is often backed up to the street. I've seen it all the way back to the traffic circle at Calz. Manuel Gómez Morín. Sometimes Sentri
holders pass on the right and then turn left into Sentri so as to avoid the Ready Lane congestion. I've turned in coming from the east too as the
Sentri line is usually not as backed up.
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Purdyd
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So you may or may not be able to turn right into the sentri lane coming from the east depending on the day.
Not sure I’m excited about passing on the right coming from the west and turning left either.
I guess I’ll figure it out. 😎
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PaulW
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Turning right when going west means you have to cut into an existing line waiting for traffic to clear. The cop will wave you westbound as the cops
prohibit cutting the line.
I see a cop pulling out cutting cars all the time and sending them to the back of the line.
Nobody like the line cutters, and the cops agree.
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Purdyd
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| Quote: Originally posted by PaulW | Turning right when going west means you have to cut into an existing line waiting for traffic to clear. The cop will wave you westbound as the cops
prohibit cutting the line.
I see a cop pulling out cutting cars all the time and sending them to the back of the line.
Nobody like the line cutters, and the cops agree. |
They pull them out of the sentri lane?
I understand the ready lane issue but not the sentri lane.
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PaulW
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Sorry I did not make myself clear.
The line from the west to turn left into the border is in the left lane and consists of both Sentri and Ready. This long line is waiting for the heavy
traffic from the east which is 100% vehicles traveling to the core city along the border road.
Those vehicles wait for a break then turn left into the border. From the east if you were to turn right into the Sentri/Ready you would be cutting
into that traffic and the cop usually prevent you from doing that and will wave you to go straight heading west. If there is no cop the folks waiting
to turn left into the border will honk and be upset you cut into their track.
Every trip into the standard lane I use I witness this activity multiple times while waiting very trip north. Never witnessed any one successfully
doing the right turn coming from the east into the Sentri/Ready.
SO, you come from the east heading west and go straight past the border and do a U-turn to get into the eastbound lane you will be cutting into that
line and the cop will pull you out and send you further west to find the end of the line. If you are lucky there will be no cop just angry people.
Once into either the Sentri or Ready past the turns you will be good.
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Bajazly
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So even if the Sentri lane, the furthest one west of the 4 you can turn into, has no cars in it at the road or in sight for that matter, you are still
expected to wait in the line?
Believing is religion - Knowing is science
Harald Pietschmann
"Get off the beaten path and memories, friends and new techniques are developed"
Bajazly, August 2019
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mtgoat666
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| Quote: Originally posted by Bajazly | | So even if the Sentri lane, the furthest one west of the 4 you can turn into, has no cars in it at the road or in sight for that matter, you are still
expected to wait in the line? |
depends on traffic, depends on whether a cop is there to direct traffic.
the E-W road has pretty open traffic flow except for the border xing line ups limited to a few lanes, so it is relatively easy to do a drive-by to
check out traffic/lines, and then do a u-turn to go back and get in the appropriate traffic pattern.
Woke!
“...ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country.” “My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America
will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.”
Prefered gender pronoun: the royal we
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Bajazly
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| Quote: Originally posted by mtgoat666 | | Quote: Originally posted by Bajazly | | So even if the Sentri lane, the furthest one west of the 4 you can turn into, has no cars in it at the road or in sight for that matter, you are still
expected to wait in the line? |
depends on traffic, depends on whether a cop is there to direct traffic.
the E-W road has pretty open traffic flow except for the border xing line ups limited to a few lanes, so it is relatively easy to do a drive-by to
check out traffic/lines, and then do a u-turn to go back and get in the appropriate traffic pattern. |
Yeah I get that but many times, read every time, I have used east with Sentri I have always just turned right coming from the east. Why would you need
to wait hours just to make a left turn to get in a lane with maybe no cars in it that you have the right to use?
Believing is religion - Knowing is science
Harald Pietschmann
"Get off the beaten path and memories, friends and new techniques are developed"
Bajazly, August 2019
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mtgoat666
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| Quote: Originally posted by Bajazly | | Quote: Originally posted by mtgoat666 | | Quote: Originally posted by Bajazly | | So even if the Sentri lane, the furthest one west of the 4 you can turn into, has no cars in it at the road or in sight for that matter, you are still
expected to wait in the line? |
depends on traffic, depends on whether a cop is there to direct traffic.
the E-W road has pretty open traffic flow except for the border xing line ups limited to a few lanes, so it is relatively easy to do a drive-by to
check out traffic/lines, and then do a u-turn to go back and get in the appropriate traffic pattern. |
Yeah I get that but many times, read every time, I have used east with Sentri I have always just turned right coming from the east. Why would you need
to wait hours just to make a left turn to get in a lane with maybe no cars in it that you have the right to use? |
Do what works for you.
I have always crossed northbound in the afternoon, and I have never seen lines that extend to the E-W street.
Woke!
“...ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country.” “My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America
will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.”
Prefered gender pronoun: the royal we
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1Bajalover
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Thank you all so much!! really great detailed maps! and Paul W a special thanks to for writing it all out like that (for the regular and not sentri
border crossing)
I am writing it all down and studying things the night before - it now seems doable
I Love This Site - It has Been a Life Saver Many Times!!
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Purdyd
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| Quote: Originally posted by PaulW | Sorry I did not make myself clear.
The line from the west to turn left into the border is in the left lane and consists of both Sentri and Ready. This long line is waiting for the heavy
traffic from the east which is 100% vehicles traveling to the core city along the border road.
Those vehicles wait for a break then turn left into the border. From the east if you were to turn right into the Sentri/Ready you would be cutting
into that traffic and the cop usually prevent you from doing that and will wave you to go straight heading west. If there is no cop the folks waiting
to turn left into the border will honk and be upset you cut into their track.
Every trip into the standard lane I use I witness this activity multiple times while waiting very trip north. Never witnessed any one successfully
doing the right turn coming from the east into the Sentri/Ready.
SO, you come from the east
 heading west and go straight past the border and do a U-turn to get into the eastbound lane you will be cutting into that line
and the cop will pull you out and send you further west to find the end of the line. If you are lucky there will be no cop just angry people.
Once into either the Sentri or Ready past the turns you will be good. |
Got it. Thanks. From this picture I see two left turn lanes coming from the west. Does this imply you can use the right left turn lane to go into
the sentri lane?
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PaulW
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Can do if the cop is not directing you westbound.
With no cop you would have to wait quite a while If you take your turn to cut thru all the folks waiting to turn left. Meanwhile if you wait you will
be holding up the mass of traffic heading west.
Not nice but doable. The folks doing from the west waited a long time to take their turn.
Actually it is a good route I described to get into the eastbound lane and still avoid the core city route that Google tells folks to go.
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Purdyd
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If you had to pick a day and time during daylight hours in May, what would you pick?
It seems for example like today Friday, 5pm had a fairly low wait time for everyone crossing the border.
Or is that just a generally bad time to drive through Mexicali.
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mtgoat666
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| Quote: Originally posted by Purdyd | If you had to pick a day and time during daylight hours in May, what would you pick?
It seems for example like today Friday, 5pm had a fairly low wait time for everyone crossing the border.
Or is that just a generally bad time to drive through Mexicali.
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May 11, 2:13:22 PDT plus or minus 9 seconds.
Seriously, just avoid commuting rush hours, and last day of a holiday weekend. Don’t over-obsess, the Mexicali crossings, east in particular,
don’t have very bad lines.
Driving thru Mexicali is a cake walk. It ain’t a very big city. If you just have hyper-anxiety about driving, then perhaps you should only drive
Sunday daytime when traffic is slowest — or you could hire a driver, Uber, etc.
[Edited on 4-23-2022 by mtgoat666]
Woke!
“...ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country.” “My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America
will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.”
Prefered gender pronoun: the royal we
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RFClark
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The Mexicali Crossings are in a general sate of flux, though the East Crossing seems like it’s finally finished. The East Crossing Ready and Sentry
lanes must be entered from the west when busy. The General lanes are entered from the east.
The fastest General lanes at west crossing are from the east side (the old way) through the new tunnel of death which is now a single lane and not 3
lanes! The single lane continues to the border where US Customs has a single opening in the K-rail. North of the K-rail there’s a short line for
each open gate. (Current information as of last Thursday) General crossing time about an hour.
The border wait time App generally reflects the actual East Crossing times and the east approach to the West Crossing.
The west side of the West Crossing now has the Medical lane and motorcycles combined with fewer General lanes and is a lot slower! (Several or more
hours!)
We don’t do Sentry so I can't help there.
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PaulW
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Correct - CBP Border wait times do not include the wait to enter at the intersection on the Mexico side.
From the west there is only one left turn line. both Sentri and Ready use that line. The two right lanes are mostly continuing east.
At the intersection it is a 3 way stop at the tee intersection and folks take turns. Usually there is a cop or two that monitor the goings on when
traffic is heavy. Morning and afternoon see the most thru traffic.
My track record for crossing including the wait in line on the boulevard varies quite a bit. Since I have somewhere to get to north I am an early
person and my times average 1-1.5 hours. I even have had several trips of near 10 minutes. Of course at the same tine I cross I note that Sentri has
no line after the intersection and Ready, which have most of the gates, is still shorter than standard I use. The trailer line is somewhat slower.
Meanwhile here are images from my GPS tracks that show the several routes
Showing GE and the routes I use
GE is Green,
Red is standard
Blue is Sentri/Ready
A closeup at the border
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Purdyd
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Great thanks guys.
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Alm
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| Quote: Originally posted by Bajazly | | So even if the Sentri lane, the furthest one west of the 4 you can turn into, has no cars in it at the road or in sight for that matter, you are still
expected to wait in the line? |
I came in the late afternoon, approached from the East, no cars backed up in Sentri or Ready, made right turn to Ready. Slowly and carefully. It's a
tight turn, narrow lanes to the border. Did this for the 1st time in January, cops didn't care. They are generally avoiding doing the work that is
not necessary. It was Sunday, maybe they behave differently when it gets busier at other times.
[Edited on 4-25-2022 by Alm]
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