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[*] posted on 8-4-2003 at 06:59 PM
Otay crossing to be open 24 hours

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/mexico/20030726-9999_6m26...

By Leonel Sanchez
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER

July 26, 2003

The Otay Mesa Port of Entry will begin round-the-clock operations tonight.

Otay's extended hours should help ease congestion at the San Ysidro Port of Entry, where more than 42 million people crossed last year, officials said.

For much of its history, the Otay port has stayed open for 16 hours a day. But last month, it went to 20 hours, and within days port officials saw a reduction in traffic at San Ysidro, six miles west, during peak hours.

"We expect the new 24-hour schedule to further that trend," said Adele Fasano, director of field operations for the U.S. Bureau of Customs and Border Protection.

U.S. and Mexican officials held a joint news conference at the Otay crossing to promote the 24-hour service for private vehicles and pedestrians. The new hours start at midnight. Otay's cargo operations will remain limited.

Staffing on both sides of the border will be boosted to keep the Otay port open. More than 11 million people crossed through Otay last year.

California's six land ports near the border will get 200 new customs, immigration and agricultural inspectors this year, Fasano said. For now, the Otay port will use overtime pay to maintain staffing.

Binational cooperation continues in other efforts to ease the flow of traffic at the border, including adding more high-tech lanes for frequent border crossers at San Ysidro. About 41,000 people are enrolled in the program.

Binational discussions have focused on alleviating traffic at San Ysidro since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks led to tighter border inspections and long waits. Growth in the San Diego-Tijuana region also has made it necessary to extend the hours of operation at Otay.

"When this port opened in 1985, fewer than 20 cars crossed the border that day," Fasano said. "Now Otay Mesa accounts for nearly one-fourth of all the border crossings here in the San Diego-Tijuana region."


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