Border, Customs, SENTRI / Global Entry
Border issues with customs requirements and SENTRI / Global – dual CBP programs that allow... View more
Organizer:
- Organized by
-
-
Pedwest Reopens – but ONLY northbound for now
-
Pedwest Reopens – but ONLY northbound for now
As of now, pedestrian border crossings will be available from 6 AM until 2 PM, and only to northbound traffic on the western side of San Ysidro’s Port of Entry
SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE
JAN. 9, 2023 5:08 PM PTAfter almost three years of being closed due to the pandemic, the PedWest pedestrian border crossing between Tijuana and San Ysidro reopened Monday.
For now the crosswalk will operate only northbound from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m., Mexican authorities said.
The much-anticipated reopening started with short waits Monday morning and, as a result, some people hesitated when they did not see the long line they expected. “Is it really open?” some border commuters asked upon their arrival.
“I didn’t believe they would actually open,” said Elia Sifuentes, a Tijuana resident who went shopping to San Ysidro. She said she had heard rumors of a reopening before, but they never panned out.
The PedWest pedestrian border crossing suspended operations in April 2020 shortly after non-essential traveling restrictions at the U.S.-Mexico land border went into effect. Those restrictions were lifted in November 2021, but the crossing remained closed.
San Ysidro Port Director Mariza Marin, with U.S. Customs and Border Protection, announced the expected reopening last week saying, “in an effort to provide additional crossing flexibility and service to our binational communities, we are working to restore our services to pre-pandemic status.”
In September, Marin told the Union-Tribune that staffing issues had hampered CBP’s ability to reopen the crossing over the past several months.
“I don’t think anyone imagined it would be this long. It was too much,” said Karla González, who works at the San Ysidro outlet mall. Before the closure, she said she crossed through PedWest almost every day since it is closer to her job.
On Monday she could not hide her excitement and even recorded a video with her cellphone of her return to the crosswalk.
During the nearly three years that PedWest was closed, the only crossing option in San Ysidro was through PedEast located in front of the trolley station on the U.S. side. As a result, the pedestrian wait times increased, Gonzalez noted.
The San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce praised Monday’s reopening, which is expected to reduce wait times.
“It is great news for the region and the cross-border community,” said Kenia Zamarripa, executive director of International Business Affairs with the chamber, adding that 20,000-plus pedestrians cross daily through the San Ysidro Port of Entry.
PedWest began operations in July 2016 as part of the $741 million expansion of port of entry.
Delays at the border can be costly. In 2016, the economic output loss due to delays at the San Diego County-Baja California border was $1.96 billion, with more than 48,000 jobs lost, according to a 2021 report by the San Diego Association of Governments.
“It was urgent that PedWest reopen,” said Zamarripa, who quoted the report. “We applaud this effort and great step towards opening PedWest in peak hours … and we hope that the next step is to extend operation hours,” she added.
Last week, a CBP spokesperson confirmed that the new schedule would be temporary, adding that “we will be assessing our resources as the week progresses and get a better gauge from an operational standpoint.” Before its closure, PedWest operated 24 hours a day.
Mexican authorities said Monday that the southbound reopening of the pedestrian crossing will take time.
“This is a process. … In a few months, it could open in both ways,” said Manuel Marín, head of the National Migration Institute in Baja California.
In the meantime, Mexican officials from the three levels of government said they were increasing security on the Mexican side, adding agents to facilitate traffic flows, and making improvements to receive travelers, according to a news release issued by the Mexican Consulate in San Diego.
On Monday, a group of Mexican migration officials could be seen checking that people were carrying the necessary documents to cross the border before entering the bridge leading to the U.S. inspection point at the port of entry.
“I hope they don’t close it again,” said Elida Ibarra, who lives in Rosarito and crosses daily to work at a clothing store, “because it’s faster to cross from here.”
-
6 Replies
-
This is great news but the real benfit will be measured when it’s functioning in both directions 24/7.
-
That’s ridiculous! Why would they only open in one direction? And close at 2:00???
-
I would imagine that Mexico wasn’t ready to staff Pedwest heading south.
-
I asked Mexico customs officers today when crossing why the Pedwest crossing south into Tijuana wasn’t open and they said because nobody told them to open it. Typical Mexican bureaucracy.
-
Mañana! 😊
-
-
-
OK, so it’s up to Mexico to open the southbound / return to Mexico (which may take a while) but I still don’t get why they would close it at 2:00 with all the stores at the outlet mall still open, several hours later?
Log in to reply.