BajaNomad

New Border Crossing Tijuana - El Chaparral San Ysidro southbound lanes will be closed soon

Gypsy Jan - 4-5-2012 at 03:29 PM

From The Baja Times: http://www.bajatimes.com/pastDetail.asp?sid=1833

"The new border crossing into Tijuana, "El Chaparral," will be open October 2012 and will have 22 gates entering Mexico, according to Mexican Consul in San Diego, Remedios Gomez Arnau. The US is still working on the second phase of the San Ysidro Border remodeling project, so the regular entrance into Mexico will be closed.

The Mexican Exterior Relations Federal Office sent a letter to the US government asking for help in regarding the opening of new roads to get into El Chaparral on the US side. The US government responded that it needs an extra $291 million to finish this project and will be unable to remodel the entrance to the new border at this time. According to the San Diego Union Tribune, under the current schedule, the United States isn`t expected to connect southbound Interstate 5 traffic to El Chaparral until 2016.

"The biggest challenge will be to get to the new border from the US side using the roads they have right now. We were hoping to get a new access thru Virginia Street, (besides Las Americas Outlet) but so far there will be no progress on the US side and getting into Mexico will be a challenge during peak hours, when people could wait in line for several hours. All the streets surrounding El Chaparral on the US side will be highly congested. That will cause problems with the neighbors, businesses and regular commuters of those streets." said Oscar Escobedo, head of the Border Affairs of the Tijuana Economic Development Council.

The Mexican government has already built four new bridges to redirect the traffic entering Mexico thru the new border crossing and is currently working on building new gates and a pedestrian crossing access.

El Chaparral is located at "Colonia Federal" in Tijuana, only a few blocks West of the San Ysidro Border, and will have 22 new gates entering Mexico.

Only the San Ysidro entrance into Mexico will be closed, the US entrance will remain open.

If you would like to know more about this new border crossing you can see a video of the project."

Woooosh - 4-5-2012 at 04:42 PM

I suppose it's up to Mexico to decide what to do. The USA is clearly working hard on the northbound side. How did it come to be the USA was supposed to be paying for the southbound side improvements too? If Mexico wants to close the entry to their country at San Ysidro, it's up them. They could just leave the existing southbound lanes open until the funding it there. Do they have a public transportation solution for the people who took the trolley to the border at San Ysdiro. No trolley to Otay Mesa.

Didn't we discuss this last month, or whas a different thing?

acurland - 4-5-2012 at 05:16 PM

Is Mexico really going to do this? Close the San Ysidro POE because they have built another entrance that has no streets leading to it on the U.S. side? What are they hoping to gain by doing this?

[Edited on 4-6-2012 by acurland]

Woooosh - 4-5-2012 at 09:01 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by acurland
Is Mexico really going to do this? Close the San Ysidro POE because they have built another entrance that has no streets leading to it on the U.S. side? What are they hoping to gain by doing this?

[Edited on 4-6-2012 by acurland]

Yeah, I don't get it either. All the existing soutbound lanes into Meixco become northbound lanes in the current San Ysidro project. So that makes all the southbound lanes shift west near the huge Outlet Mall. You wouldn't expect the Mexican gov't to build on US soil, so why wasn't it included in the project timeline for co-ordination? Wonder what the real story is.

acurland - 4-5-2012 at 09:15 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Woooosh
Quote:
Originally posted by acurland
Is Mexico really going to do this? Close the San Ysidro POE because they have built another entrance that has no streets leading to it on the U.S. side? What are they hoping to gain by doing this?

[Edited on 4-6-2012 by acurland]

Yeah, I don't get it either. All the existing soutbound lanes into Meixco become northbound lanes in the current San Ysidro project. So that makes all the southbound lanes shift west near the huge Outlet Mall. You wouldn't expect the Mexican gov't to build on US soil, so why wasn't it included in the project timeline for co-ordination? Wonder what the real story is.




This is what you are referring to. Only problem is the project completion date is 2015. Is there any construction going on to create those east-west lanes on the U.S. side of the border?

[Edited on 4-6-2012 by acurland]

woody with a view - 4-5-2012 at 09:24 PM

:barf:

WOODY/w/a/v

captkw - 4-5-2012 at 09:30 PM

HOLA,,maybe it's to stop the great big exadist from the states,,when the sh-t hit's the fan !!!!:lol::lol:....just A saying!!! K&T :lol:

[Edited on 4-6-2012 by captkw]

BajaNomad - 4-6-2012 at 01:04 PM

From March 21, 2012:
http://mexicoperspective.com/El-Chaparral-border-crossing-Th...

From Sept 30, 2011:
http://www.sandiegored.com/noticias/19476/Mexico-moving-ahea...




From: http://www.millerhull.com/html/inprogress/sanysidro.htm

mtgoat666 - 4-6-2012 at 01:19 PM

Homeland Security will build lots of buildings and new lanes, then staff the entry with same undermanned crew of mental midgets they got now. The waits will be even longer, because now the lard@$$ inspectors got larger area to wander in aimlessly, more nooks and cranies for lazy inspectors to hide instead of inspecting passports, more break rooms for them to eat their donuts.

9/11 was 11 years ago, and they still have not hired staff to make border traffic flow and achieve economically beneficial wait times to cross border.

Homeland security is actively trying to depress the TJ and SAN economies!

Udo - 4-6-2012 at 02:45 PM

SOOOO...
when does the closure become effective?

And, where is the Mexican Aduana in Otai Mesa where one gets their FMM's stamped?

I hope you mean Otay

bajaguy - 4-6-2012 at 03:00 PM

And you need INM (Immigration) to stamp your FMM, not Customs....:lol:

Check your u2u

bajadock - 4-6-2012 at 06:37 PM

So, am I the only one with the tin-foil hat paranoia about the "southbound primary and secondary inspection" areas on the U.S. side? Another "jobs" stimulus?



Thanks, Doug, for the Mexico Perspective Link

[Edited on 4-7-2012 by bajadock]

New Crossing Visa Area?

Bomberro - 4-15-2012 at 07:37 AM

Does anyone know where one can park on the Mexican side to get a tourist visa? Also which building in the overhead map of the crossing contains the visa booth? Looks like one could perhaps pull to the right and park just at the exit below the public transportation area? The reason I am asking is a fellow Baja bud is going down Wednesday and needs a tourist card for his wife. I used to when needing one at the old crossing, found that not parking in secondary was best, as it avoids a sometimes long wait for a mandatory then required inspection. I used to pull through the regular lanes and then park on the right and walk back to the visa area, found it to less hassle and faster at O'Dark thirty in the morning.

Ateo - 4-15-2012 at 08:18 AM

what a cluster f....................

elgatoloco - 4-15-2012 at 08:54 AM

Bomberro - the above wont be in place until 2016 ish. For now proceed as per usual. :saint:

Udo - 4-15-2012 at 09:49 AM

PHEW!:yes:

Thanks a Bunch

Bomberro - 4-15-2012 at 01:16 PM

The friends will be very happy!