Arizona port of entry plan receives federal funds

Arizona port of entry plan receives federal funds The U.S. General Services Administration has earmarked $42 million to build a new commercial port of entry facility near the U.S.-Mexico border town of San Luis, Ariz.
   Under the GSA plan, the new port would be located five miles east of San Luis on a portion of 339 acres of government property turned over to Yuma officials in 2000.
   The new facility, which could be completed as early as 2010, would give border-crossing commercial traffic direct access to major transportation routes.
   Arizona has been seeking a major commercial port of entry on their border with Mexico for years, but delays in federal funding have repeatedly stalled the project. The state's small border facilities are largely bypassed by commercial traffic in favor of more developed entry locations in other states such as California, New Mexico and Texas.
   San Luis' current port of entry is located in the small town's center and handles nearly 200 commercial vehicles, 10,000 private vehicles, and 11,000 pedestrians each day. The government has described the current facility as overburdened and in need of relief.
   Construction of the new 80-acre facility would take place in three phases over 10 years.
   The first phase would build the new commercial port of entry, including an administrative building, parking lot, access roadway, support structures, inspection facilities, impoundment areas and hazardous waste holding areas. The facility is set to be equipped with the latest inspection systems, including electronic inspection and other computerized processing equipment to decrease wait times.
   The second phase of construction would close the existing commercial port of entry and relocate any useable furnishings, fixtures and equipment to the new port of entry. Following this, the existing port of entry would be reconfigured for non-commercial traffic.
   The final phase would not occur, according to the GSA plan, until at least 10 years after the first phase is completed. This final phase would expand the first phase facility, as demand requires. The GSA has factored in expansion areas within the 80-acre parcel to meet these future needs.
   Private investors of a mirror facility on the Mexican side of San Luis were secured long ago, but they have reportedly grown impatient over the slow progress on the U.S. side of the project.