On the U.S. side, construction of the $1 billion dollar project has begun
The Otay Mesa East project, also known as Otay II, will help reduce wait times at other border crossings, thereby boosting economic development in the border region, officials agree.
“We have the financing. It’s a matter of doubling the work hours,” said Rogelio Rivero, road development director of the Ministry of Infrastructure, Communications and Transportation in Mexico. “With an executive project, resources and the will, projects can be done sooner.” During his visit to Tijuana last Thursday, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador oversaw infrastructure projects, including the Mexican side of the new Otay border crossing. He announced that the Ministry of National Defense will be in charge of the construction.
Unlike other ports of entry, such as San Ysidro, this new border crossing will require a toll fee to be collected once exiting the inspection point on the U.S. side. Revenue will be divided between the U.S. and Mexico.