BajaNomad

North Bound Border Crossing

rogbag - 3-11-2013 at 10:08 AM

Crossed yesterday (Sunday) morning @ San Ysidro with a FastLane pass - total of 15 minutes and we were on the 5 headed north. And that included letting them inspect the inside of my empty 12' cargo trailer.
It was well worth spending Saturday nite @ Estero Beach Hotel.
The traffic was backed up to where the concrete dividers start under the overpass. Compared to our crossing 3 weeks ago, which took 1 1/2 hours, I'm guessing it had to be at least 3 hour wait yesterday.
It was real tight getting thru the little entrance to the fast lane, but once I got the trailer by the little guard shack, it was a breeze, and put us right in line for the Ready Lane booths after cruising by the back of all the shops.
Also, we had our 20 year old granddaughter with us who only had CA drivers license and copy of birth certificate. No problem with not having a passport. She also did not have a visa, as the agent @ southbound crossing would not give her a visa without a passport. Never an issue on round trip to Los Barriles.

BajaLucy - 3-11-2013 at 10:21 AM

Awesome thanks for posting fast lane working good!
Cool they let your granddaughter pass with just birth cert. keep hearing ppl saying se times they let you and some times they don't good thing they let you guys pass. I hear too some times Aduanas or the Mexican facility place can be bit not friendly and deny passport. Check-stamp for wantevee reason! Or haut charge for visa-turistica.. $25 insane! They told us last time we have to get one even if we go across for 2hrs rediculos. But any ways thanks for your FYI

sancho - 3-11-2013 at 10:58 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by rogbag
Crossed yesterday (Sunday) morning @ San Ysidro with a FastLane pass - total of 15 minutes It was well worth spending Saturday nite @ Estero Beach Hotel.




Is that the pass that is given out by Hotels, etc. in the
Rosarito/Ensenada area to their clients?

DENNIS - 3-11-2013 at 12:13 PM

I posted this somewhere else, but it fits here too.
San Ysidro crossing time [according to the 6:AM radio] today was over three hours....regular lanes, I assume.
Man....... it would be hard to start a work day like that.

grizzlyfsh95 - 3-11-2013 at 12:55 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by sancho
Quote:
Originally posted by rogbag
Crossed yesterday (Sunday) morning @ San Ysidro with a FastLane pass - total of 15 minutes It was well worth spending Saturday nite @ Estero Beach Hotel.




Is that the pass that is given out by Hotels, etc. in the
Rosarito/Ensenada area to their clients?


I am curious too. Is that a Sentri Pass? If so, how was someone not cleared with Sentri allowed?

DENNIS - 3-11-2013 at 01:25 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by grizzlyfsh95
Quote:
Originally posted by sancho
Quote:
Originally posted by rogbag
Crossed yesterday (Sunday) morning @ San Ysidro with a FastLane pass - total of 15 minutes It was well worth spending Saturday nite @ Estero Beach Hotel.




Is that the pass that is given out by Hotels, etc. in the
Rosarito/Ensenada area to their clients?


I am curious too. Is that a Sentri Pass? If so, how was someone not cleared with Sentri allowed?



I don't think he meant Sentri since he related it to the Estero Beach Hotel. It had to be the pass Sancho mentioned.

rogbag - 3-11-2013 at 01:51 PM

It is a pass that is issued by the hotel. It has a "Tijuana 20" logo at the top. It has notes that say:
This pass is not valid for the SENTRI lane.
This pass is issued for a single trip.
This is a courtesy pass for visitors.
Unlawful to reproduce....
Validity of 48 hours from the day of issuance.

The hotel did not charge for the pass, but the pass does list the customer's name and license plate number. The woman at the gate to the Fastlane did not check our names or plate numbers against the pass.

I am lucky that one of the hotel security guards mentioned that the passes were available, or I would not have thought to ask for it.
I think I would have been willing to pay the $80 room rate just for the pass - if it means cutting 3 hours off of the wait time.
Toward the bottom of the page it says
"FastLane
Another excuse to stay more time in Tijuana"

Roger

willardguy - 3-11-2013 at 02:47 PM

cool, I thought the fast pass had ended. last week sitting in the regular lanes I saw a bunch of cars presenting paperwork at the fast pass booth and wondered what was up.
good to know, thanks!:)

DENNIS - 3-11-2013 at 03:20 PM

Does "Fastpass" have a dedicated lane? I guess it would have to.

willardguy - 3-11-2013 at 03:54 PM

the fast pass booth is off the colonia federal lane. the one that many end up on mistakenly.

Pacifico - 3-11-2013 at 08:12 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by willardguy
the fast pass booth is off the colonia federal lane. the one that many end up on mistakenly.


If you are headed north, is this the lane to the right of the concrete barriers? Does Sentri share this lane before the fast pass booth?

rogbag - 3-11-2013 at 08:39 PM

The far left lane is for Tecate, the second lane is marked 5 San Diego. They are both to the left of the concrete barrier. The concrete barrier separates them from a lane marked Col Federal. That is the lane you want. I guess you could say that you want to be in the 3rd lane from the left side. Follow it around the loop and there is a small booth on your left with a gate. Stop at the booth and show the guard your pass, and you are in. Pretty simple, once you have done it, as most things are.
Roger

woody with a view - 3-11-2013 at 08:47 PM

my Mexican friend gives the guard $10 and swears he gets let thru. i wasn't so lucky last time i tried! FYI....

BooJumMan - 3-13-2013 at 05:41 PM

Sorry, just for clarification....you say it took you 15 minutes to cross, yet a few sentences down you say 3 hours... Which one is it!? : )

Since you crossed Sunday morning, I would assume it took the 3hrs...?! I would love to know what time you crossed if it only took 15 mins!?

I crossed 2 weeks ago on a Sunday, and even with my SENTRI, it took close to 2 hours. Never seen it so backed up in my life.

willardguy - 3-13-2013 at 06:24 PM

2 hours with a sentri pass! wow!:o

rogbag - 3-13-2013 at 08:06 PM

Boo JumMan -
It took us 15 minutes from the time we pulled up to the FastLane booth until we were across the border and northbound on 5. The FastLane pass got us in a lane that took us behind the bazaar and down to within about 6 cars of the Ready Lane booth.
The 3 hour wait time was a just a guess at what it would have been had we waited with the rest of the unwashed masses in the standard lanes.
We got there @ 9:15 AM and were on the freeway by 9:30 AM, Sunday morning. Nothing short of awesome.
Roger

vgabndo - 3-14-2013 at 12:23 PM

We crossed Tuesday late morning. I wasn't expecting easy as we'd been out for 40 days. The worst for us was the detour for the road construction along the fence road. The detour sign at the "T" intersection points the wrong way, and we were part of a group of gringos who followed it to a dead end street about three blocks away. At the T, go RIGHT, and keep going many blocks to the light. There are un-signed stop signs painted on the road at almost every intersection. I didn't even see a predatory cop at these fishin' holes. At the light turn LEFT and it will take you to the deadly San Diego sign over the wrong lane. As mentioned above, go LEFT of the concrete divider, or be suckered off to do a loop around the waiting lines of cars, ending up at the glorietta at the Bus Terminal. IF you get there, as I did, again, follow roads to Tecate, and watch for signs for San Diego along that route. We had an hour and a half in line, with our mirrors folded-in, to get through the madness, and then got sent to secondary to be parked in a remote corner and ignored for half an hour because we wouldn't fit through the XRay machine. Welcome home! Parked along side the privacy screen, I could see a rack of SawZall, body panel modifiers, at the ready, or obviously used-up, inside!!

LANE CHOICE...The far left hand lane is the fastest because of a last minute split into two about 100 meters from the electronics.

119aa.jpg - 21kB

htnfool - 3-16-2013 at 08:23 PM

Crossed at Tecate on friday at noon. 15 minute wait and gone. I love Tecate, at least crossing the border there.

Tecate Monday March 11, 30 min (but pricey toll road Otay-Tecate)

Whale-ista - 3-16-2013 at 09:16 PM

Tecate crossing, Monday night 9:30 approx, took about 30 minutes. Tough to find in the dark- lots of changes and redirections since last time I had crossed (years ag0).

(IMO, Pemex attendants are best choices for asking for directions.)

Anyone know why it costs 90 pesos on toll road from Otay to Tecate? Is it based on going thru to Mexicali? I drove north along coast from Ensenada, took Route 2000 (?) at Popotla to save a few $ on tolls and since I planned to cross at Tecate, then got hit with 90 pesos at toll entrance. Wow!

Next time I'll go thru Guadalupe Valley, not coast, but it was getting dark and I thought it would be easier & safer on the toll roads w/lights vs. twisty roads/no lights.

The price we pay for lighting...

BooJumMan - 3-16-2013 at 09:46 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by willardguy
2 hours with a sentri pass! wow!:o


Somehow I always seem to cross back on a Sunday...I am going to try my best to stop this routine. :)

Sundays seem to be the WORST by far. Especially during the 11am-4pm time frame. The SENTRI line was backed up so far, that the 3rd round-about right to get back into the lane was closed by the police. I just ended up circling around for about 15 minutes until I could get into the backed up SENTRI lane... there was 100's of cars in front of me. It was unbelievable. I've never waited more then 15 minutes!!! :/

nbacc - 3-17-2013 at 05:45 AM

NEVER on a Sunday!!! At any crossing.

David K - 3-17-2013 at 11:41 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Whale-ista
Tecate crossing, Monday night 9:30 approx, took about 30 minutes. Tough to find in the dark- lots of changes and redirections since last time I had crossed (years ag0).

(IMO, Pemex attendants are best choices for asking for directions.)

Anyone know why it costs 90 pesos on toll road from Otay to Tecate? Is it based on going thru to Mexicali? I drove north along coast from Ensenada, took Route 2000 (?) at Popotla to save a few $ on tolls and since I planned to cross at Tecate, then got hit with 90 pesos at toll entrance. Wow!

Next time I'll go thru Guadalupe Valley, not coast, but it was getting dark and I thought it would be easier & safer on the toll roads w/lights vs. twisty roads/no lights.

The price we pay for lighting...


Nope, there are 2 more tolls between Tecate and Mexicali, or 3 if you are going to San Felipe!

The free road from Otay to Tecate is a 4 lane blvd. and only a few signals in El Florido and Tecate... but free... and you get to drive by the Toyota factory where our Baja built Tacomas are made!:lol::light:

To get there, just before that expensive toll gate entrance for Tecate (Mex. 2-D), take the Corredor 2000 (signed for Popotla/ Rosarito/ Ensenada) and exit a few miles south where it goes over the Free Tecate Highway (Mex. 2)!



[Edited on 3-17-2013 by David K]