SAN YSIDRO, Calif. (KGTV) -- Customs and Border Protection officials Tuesday celebrated the completion of a 10-year project to expand the San Ysidro Port of Entry.
With the POE being the busiest port in the entire Western Hemisphere, officials said the $741 million expansion project was necessary to ease traffic, make the port more secure, and improve and expedite processing at the border.
The lengthy project has included a reconstruction of northbound lanes heading into the U.S. and an expansion of the PedWest bridge. Additionally, there has also been a realignment of southbound Interstate 5 lanes into Mexico.
San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer, Tijuana Mayor Arturo Gonzalez Cruz, and San Diego-based Rep. Juan Vargas were among the dignitaries who attended the ceremony to mark the project’s completion.
"We're already one of the busiest border crossings in the world with thousands of goods and people crossing every day and now we'll be able to grow our economy even more to the benefit of people on both sides of the border," Faulconer said of the San Diego-Tijuana region. "We couldn't have done this without all of us working together to advocate at the federal level for the funding to get this across the finish line."
City News Service contributed to this report.
