BajaNomad

sentri lane SY or Otay?

Bajavanadu - 7-20-2018 at 02:11 PM

Which sentri lane do you prefer, San Ysidro or Otay Mesa? I normally take boulevard 2000 toll road around to the east and cross at Otay but the road conditions are not as nice as the coastal route. Thinking about giving SY a try but I'm not a fan of navigating TJ roundabouts.
Any thoughts would be appreciated.

willardguy - 7-20-2018 at 02:27 PM

I don't bother with blvd2000 anymore, I like taking the free road and follow the signs to the airport exiting at bella artes east to the sentri. 10 miles shorter than 2000

BajaTed - 7-20-2018 at 07:11 PM

In Otay, I saw all the graffiti on the east airport fence is all gone, I used to consider it some of the best.
Cops if so inclined will pinch you in TJ more so than Otay.

chumlee57 - 7-20-2018 at 08:43 PM

I understand the Sentri situation in TJ pretty good, sometimes if there is not a cop around I can make a quick U turn by Pueblo Amigo ( Casino ) and ditch the roundabouts all together. The round abouts are not that difficult to navigate, it's the last one ( third round about ) where the big statue of the old president is, that requires a little bit of staying to the left and then vering straight to come back the same way you came from. David K has posted a map of ths in the past ( shocking :) ) anyway, thanks to that map, I have had no issues, other than the potential cop directing you to Otay at 9 pm, when you thought you were an easy sentri mark in 15 minutes. Mexico... :biggrin: I have had problems, even with a sentri map at Otay, from the 2000, as well I am 20 minutes from my house from TJ. In TJ u need to take the lane to the right of the typical border traffic, pass the " Medical entry lane " ( on the left as you pass ) and hairpin turn at the 1st round about, stay right after the hairpin and take the second to the right lane, which will either give you a perfect layup to a quick hairpin left turn to put u in the sentri, or u can travel to the third round about and spin all the way around and head back in the direction you came in, u will see the signs as soon as you start heading back. Sounds confusing, but if u take the same way every time u pass, it becomes pretty easy. A lot of people I know take the Tecate crossing, but after 6 hrs of driving on the second day, I prefer to get home as quick as possible, so TJ is my way to go. When I go through Tecate, it seems like I'll never get home :mad:

BajaMama - 7-22-2018 at 10:38 AM

I like the Otay SENTRI, the TJ looks so confusing! I like the idea of the prettier free road instead of Bl.2000 - where do you pick it up? Rosarito?

del mar - 7-22-2018 at 10:41 AM

Quote: Originally posted by BajaMama  
I like the Otay SENTRI, the TJ looks so confusing! I like the idea of the prettier free road instead of Bl.2000 - where do you pick it up? Rosarito?


right at the pabellon mall (walmart) well signed off the toll road....I wouldn't call it "prettier" though!:yes:

[Edited on 7-22-2018 by del mar]

gsbotanico - 7-22-2018 at 01:45 PM

I usually take the free road from Rosarito to San Ysidro. From the toll road you take the Rosarito Norte exit, which is just north of Soriana's on the right side.

If you want to go to Otay, take the exit to the Libramiento (which crosses over the free road) that goes to the airport and the Otay crossing. It's where the highway flattens out and before the descent into downtown Tijuana. When reaching the airport area, keep going north and turn right where it says Bellas Artes. This is the street that goes to the Sentri lane entrance. Turn left at the stoplight on the east side the bridge that carries the regular lanes over Bellas Artes.

If you want to use San Ysidro, keep on the free road and go straight through the Cuauhtémoc roundabout (with the Indian statue). Stay to the right and watch the signage (small at car level) on the right hand side. After crossing the river at the stoplight, exit to the right and loop around to the left to enter Padre Kino, which is the right hand choice of the two adjacent stoplights. Lane stripping is confusing because it will direct you to Centenario, which is not the street you want to be on. Once on Padre Kino it's a straight shot to Sentri. It's straight forward once learned.

I took Boulevard 2000 to Otay Sentri a few weeks ago. Road surface is in terrible condition. There is continuous trash along the highway the whole way with construction near the north end. However, crossing in Sentri was fast.

DanO - 7-22-2018 at 08:44 PM

SY, no contest. Blvd 2000 is a mess.

Ateo - 7-23-2018 at 07:10 AM

Otay

SFandH - 7-23-2018 at 08:17 AM

Quote: Originally posted by Bajavanadu  
Which sentri lane do you prefer, San Ysidro or Otay Mesa? I normally take boulevard 2000 toll road around to the east and cross at Otay but the road conditions are not as nice as the coastal route. Thinking about giving SY a try but I'm not a fan of navigating TJ roundabouts.
Any thoughts would be appreciated.


Getting to the SY Sentri lanes from the toll road is a bit complicated once you get to the border crossing area. But, like anything else, when you know how, it's easy. Perhaps ride along with someone the first time that knows how and can show you the way.

[Edited on 7-23-2018 by SFandH]