SAN DIEGO (Border Report) — It’s still more than three years away, but business leaders already recognize the possibilities and opportunities surrounding the planned Otay Mesa East Port of Entry between San Diego and Tijuana.
The border crossing will be the third such facility in the region.
“We all know we need a new port of entry,” said Alejandra Mier y Teran, executive director of the Otay Mesa Chamber of Commerce.
Mier y Teran said the new border crossing is sorely needed considering the long border waits now endured by many commuters. She believes the new port of entry will help get people across the border a lot faster while spurring more development in the area.
“It will represent opportunities for new development. We represent the last piece in the San Diego region that’s available for industrial land to build manufacturing facilities, high tech facilities, and we see development coming with the new infrastructure. It’s super exciting,” Mier y Teran said.
Before the crossing is built by Caltrans, the California Department of Transportation and SANDAG, the San Diego Association of Governments, State Route 11 will be constructed and should be ready by the end of 2021.
It will be a toll road that will help pay for the $850 million in bonds that both agencies are financing to build both the border crossing and the highway. About 200 acres have already been purchased for development.
“It’s really a big impact on our community, a community that has been built on manufacturing in Baja California. We now have customs brokers, trucking companies, warehouses, this should bring in manufacturing as well,” Mier y Teran said.
