YUMA — A $308 million effort to modernize and expand Arizona’s second-busiest non-commercial port broke ground in San Luis on Tuesday, nearly 40 years after the port was built. That is scheduled.
Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs and Senator Mark Kelly (D-Arizona), along with officials from the U.S. General Services Administration and U.S. Customs and Border Protection, attend a groundbreaking ceremony at the San Luis 1 Land port of entry. It is expected to be.
The project will significantly increase the port’s vehicle and pedestrian inspection capacity, while reducing waiting times and facilitating the cross-border economy. The initiative would replace the port’s aging infrastructure and outdated facilities with funding from bipartisan infrastructure and anti-inflation laws.
“This is a generational investment,” said GSA Director Robin Carnahan. “Trade has increased dramatically over the last 30-40 years, but the infrastructure that enables that trade to cross borders effectively has not kept pace.“
About $100 million of the Control Inflation Act funds will be used to introduce a number of sustainability features, making it the country’s first net-zero land port of entry. A net-zero building is a building where clean energy generated on-site offsets the total energy used, resulting in a net energy consumption of zero.
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The funds will also be used to install sustainable asphalt, concrete and steel construction materials that will make the port more resilient to the surrounding desert environment.
The port is used by 3 million drivers and 2.5 million pedestrians each year, according to GSA. The port is one of 26 land ports where the GSA has identified a need for construction and modernization projects.
According to the GSA, the $3.4 billion investment in these projects is due to bipartisan infrastructure legislation, making it the largest single federal investment in nonprofit regional border infrastructure since 1984.
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“The timing was very coincidental,” Carnahan said. “This was a project that needed to be done, and this funding has allowed us to do it in a way that could serve as a model for the rest of the country.”
The port serves as an important route for farm workers who commute from Mexico to Yuma County each day during the harvest season, contributing to the county’s multi-billion dollar agricultural industry. 90% of the leafy greens grown in the United States from November through March are produced in the Yuma region.
Pedestrians have been known to wait up to two hours for port procedures during busy mornings on weekdays, according to GSA’s environmental assessment.
The port facilities were no longer able to handle the higher traffic volumes that they were not originally designed to sustain. The assessment said the port’s oversized and outdated equipment cannot support CBP’s current inspection procedures.
Upon completion of this project, the number of northbound vehicle inspection lanes will double from 8 to 16 and the number of inspection booths will increase from 10 to 14. A 16,000-square-foot canopy and a 21,000-square-foot pedestrian inspection building will be constructed. .
“Funds needed to upgrade ports that will work with local leaders and Customs and Border Protection to expand trade, reduce wait times, and improve our ability to stop cross-border fentanyl and other illegal trade. We are proud to have secured a
The port will incorporate full electrification and water conservation features to meet the Biden administration’s goal of modernizing federal buildings to achieve net zero emissions by 2045. The port’s sustainability features include solar panels, advanced insulation, energy efficient heating and ventilation. We have introduced air conditioning systems and energy-saving LED lighting fixtures.
“This is infrastructure that will last for a long time and have a huge impact on our economy and national security.,” Mr Carnahan said.
Construction is expected to continue until the fall of 2028, as the port will remain fully operational in the meantime.
GSA is committed to building a new commercial port of entry in Douglas while modernizing the existing Raul H. Castro port of entry. Construction of the new port he plans to complete in November 2027.
GSA recently completed a project to pave the Port of Lukeville using sustainable asphalt.
Got news tips or story ideas about the border and its communities? josecastaneda@arizonarepublic.com Or connect with him on Twitter @joseicastaneda.
