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elfbrewery
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Going North through Mexicali to Calexico
My calendar says we'll be crossing the border heading north through Mexicali-Calexico on a Saturday. That may not be the best day to cross, but it
works for me. I probably won't make the 2pm closing time on the East port of entry as I'm leaving from Guerrero Negro that morning.
I am looking at maps and getting online directions, but I'm not sure to trust them. Is there a new MEX-5 crossing or is there a zigzag to get to the
border crossing lanes?
Thanks for any help you can give me.
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PaulW
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West going North
Sorry about the bad news that we are living with.
West border crossing. With real info (your experience will be different).
For sentry and for standard both shown on the image
Advice
Sentri is doable - see the image, but with big lines on Sat, Sun, and Monday at lease until early afternoon?
Standard is pretty unacceptable for those days because of the long lines.
Image was on a Sunday with a 4.5 hour wait for standard. (how big is your bladder?)
East crossing
Standard for Sunday you need to be the end of the line at the east crossing very early in the AM (6AM) to get to the border by 2PM. For Saturday you
need to be at the end of the line by 10AM
I am having the same dilemma and have decided to cross Mex east on Tuesday AM. I hope to be and be end of the at 6AM in the standard line.
Sentri line will be shorter than standard for both days.
 love poems and quotes
[Edited on 3-23-2021 by BajaNomad]
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elfbrewery
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I remember last year I had to go east from Mex 5, then U-turn (basically) to come back to the lines.
Anyway, the info from Google Maps and others is still incorrect, at least it looks that way to me.
Thanks for the map!
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PaulW
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For the east there is the way from the east that avoids the sentri line and avoids the U turn.
We tried using the car nav system and it was very wrong for both east and west crossing. Not even close
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jamiec
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Interested in the best way through as well. I have my Sentri now but when I didn't Google pointed me to the Sentri lane. Live and learn.
One way that I have looked is something like this:
1. 5 North
2. At the roundabout that is just shy of the border, taking a right (East) on Avenida Alvaro Obregon
3. Left on Calle A
4. Left on Cristobal Colon, get in the far right lane to avoid the Sentri lane.
Experienced folks, would something like this work?
[Edited on 3-24-2021 by BajaNomad]
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PaulW
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jamiec,
Wrong way to both the Sentri and Standard. Study my my picture.
No problem when you follow your track you will find the barricades and new orange signs with arrows that say Calexico. Then you will pass Sentri at a
new overpass and head west to the U turn back to the border.
And expect very poor signage.
Like I have said before I hate the west crossing.
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AKgringo
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jamiec, that was the way I went north in March of 2020, but by November when I made a second trip, it had changed to what Paul W
posted.
If you are not living on the edge, you are taking up too much space!
"Could do better if he tried!" Report card comments from most of my grade school teachers. Sadly, still true!
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PaulW
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Evidence of construction. Some of the lanes entering the border still had construction debris in the driving lanes.
I honestly believe it will change again ASAP because it is a pretty bad mess. The route following the orange signs goes thru neighborhoods with dirt
roads. -- Sigh.
Did I say west going N is not for me again. I will get up early and head to the east.
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JZ
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If you have Sentri, Google Maps nav works perfectly.
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John M
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Weekday crossings?
Paul, are weekday - mid week - at the east crossing as maddening?
I have SENTRI but my daughter doesn't and I don't particularly want to make her a pedestrian through the east crossing.
John M
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PaulW
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I am sure tuesday thru thursday is the best time.
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PaulW
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Google Maps
JZ is correct for Sentri. Looks like my pic. Thru the underpass to the lanes.
Could not find the standard line, but it passes the sentri on the way west over an overpass.
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mtgoat666
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Seems like the border xing street arrangements change every now and then, creating perpetual confusion and consternation...
Too bad there are all these map-heads on baja forums/FB pages, and none of them post/pin current and updated border maps (and remove the obsolete
maps)...
Need some retirees with gps and adobe illustrator to take up cartography hobby...
[Edited on 3-24-2021 by mtgoat666]
Woke!
“...ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country.” “My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America
will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.”
Prefered gender pronoun: the royal we
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JZ
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Quote: Originally posted by mtgoat666  | Seems like the border xing street arrangements change every now and then, creating perpetual confusion and consternation...
Too bad there are all these map-heads on baja forums/FB pages, and none of them post/pin current and updated border maps (and remove the obsolete
maps)...
Need some retirees with gps and adobe illustrator to take up cartography hobby...
[Edited on 3-24-2021 by mtgoat666] |
Naw, it's much simpler than that.
Just need to record a track on a GPS app, and post a pic of the satellite image with track overlay, and actual track in kmz. This is a 30 second
exercise.
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RFClark
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We usually cross NB at the West crossing on Saturday afternoon. Usually takes 90 min!
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jamiec
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Good to know Paul. Of course, it can't be easy, what fun would that be.
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elfbrewery
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RFClark-
When was the last time you did this? Was it via the new arrangement described above?
Cheers!
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David K
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Amigos, when you use PostImages.org (or any photo hosting site), remember to change the photo size to fit on Nomad...
You can edit your too-big image by adding to the [img] tag so it look like this: [img=800x] for the maximum size to fit Nomad.
On PostImages, before uploading images:
Click the drop down menu that says "Do not resize my image" and change to 800x600 (the maximum on Nomad) or 640x480 (a large image size)... Let's help
Doug and make reading posts easy, without sideways scrolling!
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MulegeAL
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Crossed NB at west crossing 3/12.
You have to get over to the west side of things to the eastbound lanes along the border fence. That goes east and then up/over to a RH clover leaf,
under pass then goes north to US border customs. 7 lanes available when we were there. Got in line around 930, that was an hour too late. Took most
of 2 hours to clear out.
Maps, sats, even Google Earth don't seem to show the current construction.
Sentri, gotta get Sentri!
[Edited on 3-24-2021 by MulegeAL]
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elfbrewery
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Paul -
So, for Calexico West, would it be wise to leave Mex5 sooner, going west (say on Oaxaca) to Morin and then (based on the queue) go north?
Cheers!
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