Alm
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Otay Crossing Northbound
Tried it for the 1st time. From Ensenada through Corredor 2000 aka Blvd 2000.
Impressions - mixed to positive.
Toll fees - oh yeah. 2 booths (vs 3 to SY crossing). 2nd booth is awaiting for you in ambush after you've turned off the Hwy1 to Corredor. This 2nd
booth is in the actual Corredor and is meant to charge people going through the Corredor (though one might argue that this is for already covered
section of 1 Quota).
Hwy quality - acceptable. Not as good as 1 Quota. Last one third it's going through Tijuana suburbs and looks funny. More like some Avenida rather
than highway. Unmarked exits that are actually streets into new suburban blocks, with bus stops and people standing in the exits. There is still a
divider, with cars parked sometimes on the divider, and people running across the divider to catch the bus. Thanks God, no goats and chickens walking
across.
Unmarked exits/streets on the right can drive you crazy when you're going there first time and looking for your exit to Otay. Luckily, this one was
marked.
There is one wrong fork before Otay exit (to Tecate? don't remember), and it came suddenly and I would've mistaken it for my exit if were going fast,
but luckily I was crawling at pedestrian speed behind one of many transit buses. 5 pm rush hour, there was sometimes 3 or 4 buses going on God knows
what lanes on the right - 2 usual Northbound lanes kinda "multiply" on the last one third of Corredor.
Once exiting the Corredor and heading West on Blvd Industrial, after 5 miles there is a right turn marked "Garrita de Otay Autos Ligeros". I took my
chances and turned. Later I've learned that Autos Ligeros simply meant "passenger cars". Huh??? No amount of Spanish would help you in situations
like this. I knew that there was no truck crossing in this block, but is it regular cars, or Sentri, or what???
Turned out to be regular (which I wanted). Had I turned half block farther, I would've gotten into Ready Lane. Sentri gate appeared later on the
right, as I recall.
Crossing time - faster than it took me to type all this. 30 minutes at 5.30 pm on the 1st working Tuesday after the holiday de los Muertos. Not bad.
I've got lucky, my leftmost lane was served by 2 gates, splitting in 2 just before the gates. Cars from other lanes couldn't get there, so I would
think 50-60 minutes for them. Still not bad.
Navigating - easy. Just 2 right exits (one from Quota, one from Corredor) and one right turn.
[Edited on 11-14-2015 by Alm]
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Maron
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Nice report/info
thks
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Bajahowodd
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If you were coming from Ensenada, you should have exited at Ruta de Vino. Going all the way North to Blvd 2000 just adds unnecessary time and miles to
your trip. If you choose the BLVD 200 route, it's just so much shorter to go to Otay.
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woody with a view
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last night at 8:03pm at SY 17 cars in the far left lane = 20 minutes! it was worth the 31 pesos for that last toll!!!!
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Skipjack Joe
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3 nights ago, Thursday, at SY at 8 pm it was 30 minutes in the middle lane.
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Alm
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Yeah, SY is getting better. Still longer than Otay, but not much, especially in off-hours. At 5.30 pm rush hour I wouldn't count on 30 minutes in SY
though.
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Udo
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The SETRI lane is REALLY worth the money. Average wait from nothing to 10 minutes.
Honk your horn at the churro guy as you start to make your left to the SENTRI gate and you'll have some hot churros on your lap in seconds.
Udo
Youth is wasted on the young!
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sancho
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The CBP site last Thur. listed reg ped line at TJ, coming back at 3 pm as 20 min. The following day, Fri. it took me 2 1/2 hrs. in the ped line coming
back at 3 pm. At 5 pm, there was 1 1/2 + mi. back up on the 5 going into TJ
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Mateo-Feo
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Otay border needs more Tacos. I rather Tijuana for the simple fact that you can get anything while you wait. 
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Udo
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There are two taco stands and a churro stand...albeit at the SENTRI lanes.
Udo
Youth is wasted on the young!
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gsbotanico
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I've found that crossing the border at San Ysidro, Otay, or Tecate is a bit of a crap shoot, even with Sentri. I usually use the old highway to San
Ysidro, but traffic can mess this up. On Monday a lane reduction caused traffic to back up for miles and added ½ hour to the trip. Sentri crossing
times can vary from a few minutes to almost an hour. I avoid the last segment of the toll road because of the added distance and awkward access to
the Sentri lanes.
Otay is best if carrying non-Sentri passengers. They can hop out of car near the line and cross as a pedestrian and be picked up on the US side.
This does not work easily at San Ysidro. Blvd. 2000 works if coming from south of Rosarito, but the truck traffic can be very heavy. It is clearly
marked for the newbie. And the vehiculos ligeros vs. vehiculos pesados is simply the Spanish way to distinguish the auto (light) crossing and the
truck (heavy) crossing. There is a separate truck crossing at Otay for commercial trucking.
I didn't understand the comment about using the Ruta del Vino. This goes to Tecate, where the crossing time can be 5-10 minutes or 1-2 hours. There
is no Sentri lane. There is a toll road that goes to Otay from Tecate that is very fast, so this is another option, if you want to cross at Otay and
are coming from Ensenada.
Jerry S.
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bajaguy
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We find the crossing at Otay to be the fastest and most simple when coming from Ensenada. We make 3 turns from the toll road and Blvd 2000 to the
SENTRI crossing.
Usually cross Tuesday - Thursday between 7:30 and 9am, Commercial trucks must be taking a different route (other than Blvd 2000) as we have not run
into the morning convoys as in the past. Minor traffic on Industrial Blvd, but not a deal breaker.
Of course, YMMV
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Bajahowodd
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Quote: Originally posted by bajaguy  | We find the crossing at Otay to be the fastest and most simple when coming from Ensenada. We make 3 turns from the toll road and Blvd 2000 to the
SENTRI crossing.
Usually cross Tuesday - Thursday between 7:30 and 9am, Commercial trucks must be taking a different route (other than Blvd 2000) as we have not run
into the morning convoys as in the past. Minor traffic on Industrial Blvd, but not a deal breaker.
Of course, YMMV
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Bajahowodd
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The absolute best thing about making the crossing at Otay is that there is a McDonald's just before the turn up to the gates. Best place to relieve
oneself before getting in line.
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bajaguy
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Or D'Volada coffee in the shopping center just east of McDonalds.
If you turn right on the street between McDonalds and the PEMEX (Carranza) it sets you up for an almost straight shot at the Otay SENTRI lanes
| Quote: Originally posted by Bajahowodd | | The absolute best thing about making the crossing at Otay is that there is a McDonald's just before the turn up to the gates. Best place to relieve
oneself before getting in line. |
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