After coming across San Ysidro on Friday night (8/27) at 5:20pm with NO wait
only to get stuck on the border fence road for 45 minutes (there was an accident) I am more interested in the elevated new roadway right now!
Alternate border route set
Elevated toll road will have 4 lanes
By Sandra Dibble, UNION-TRIBUNE
Tuesday, June 1, 2010 at 12:02 a.m.
It is known as El Segundo Piso, or the second floor, an elevated four-lane toll road linking the San Ysidro border crossing with the seaside suburb
of Playas de Tijuana. Paralleling the U.S. border fence for much of its six-mile route, the roadway will offer U.S. visitors an alternate access to
Baja California’s coastline.
“Whoever chooses to get on will be able to avoid the conflicts down below,” said Francisco Javier Pujol, an adviser in the Tijuana City Manager’s
Office.
The toll road will be built directly above Avenida Internacional, the main route from the border to Playas de Tijuana, where travelers typically
access the Ensenada Toll Road. Avenida Internacional has been a problematic gantlet for tourists and local residents, prone to flooding, congestion
and accidents. In addition, corrupt police officers have targeted foreign visitors who used the roadway, though reports of extortion have diminished
significantly.
The city has opted not to use taxpayer funds for the $200 million project, selecting a Mexico City-based consortium to build it, in exchange for the
right to operate it for 30 years and collect tolls. Mario Escalante, commercial director for one of the two groups in the consortium, Union
Presforzadora, said the road will include closed-circuit cameras and other security features.
Escalante said construction is expected to begin within two months, with completion in about two years. The toll will be about $2 and apply in both
directions. Escalante said the consortium is studying the possibility of a discount program for frequent travelers, but no decision has been reached.
City officials say the elevated toll road will be far less costly than building another road through the neighborhoods just south of the border fence.
“It would cost more to tear down buildings than what the entire toll road is costing,” said Pujol of the City Manager’s Office.
Close to 70,000 vehicles use Avenida Internacional each day in both directions. Studies show that about 25,000 drivers a day would use the new toll
road.
More info about the crossing. Looks like the current southbound lanes will be turned into northbound lanes and new southbound lanes will be added a
bit to the west. At least that's what I think is planned in phase III.
Anyone know when work will actually begin on the border crossing or the elvevated toll road?
The earlier articles in this thread only give vague statements like "work is under way." But in October I didn't see any work on an elevated toll
road or new entry buildings. I imagine there is alot of planning, but I'm curious about when the work starts.
I imagine construction will make traffic worse through those routes. Makes using Otay seem like a better idea.
Originally posted by SoCal-Bob
The earlier articles in this thread only give vague statements like "work is under way." But in October I didn't see any work on an elevated toll
road or new entry buildings. I imagine there is alot of planning, but I'm curious about when the work starts.
Eeeees Mesico. Hard if not impossible to expect something to start when they say it will.
Originally posted by SoCal-Bob
Anyone know when work will actually begin on the border crossing or the elvevated toll road?
According to the Wikipedia article k-rico gave us,
"In the Mexican side, construction of the links that will connect the new El Chaparral Facility with the main freeway (Via Rápida) and highway
Internacional which takes riders to western Tijuana (Playas) and nearby Rosarito has started and will continue until 2013.In the Mexican side,
construction of the links that will connect the new El Chaparral Facility with the main freeway (Via Rápida) and highway Internacional which takes
riders to western Tijuana (Playas) and nearby Rosarito has started and will continue until 2013."
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