A $300+ million project to modernize and expand the San Luis Port of Entry kicked off Tuesday.
Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs and U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly joined local, state and federal leaders to celebrate the groundbreaking of the San Luis I Land Port of Entry modernization and expansion project.
Gov. Hobbs said it’s long overdue.
“This modernization and expansion project will drastically improve efficiencies at the port of entry including reducing border wait times and deploying the latest technology to identify high-risk activity like drug trafficking,” Hobbs said during remarks at a ceremony at the Cesar Chavez Cultural Center following the groundbreaking.
Officials say the project, set to be finished in 2028, will double northbound vehicle lanes from 8 to 16 and increase pedestrian lanes from 10 to 14.
Angel Hernandez lives in San Luis, Ariz. and said he crosses on foot about two to three times every week to visit family in San Luis Rio Colorado.
“They have 10 booths but usually only two are open so it can take an hour and a half to two hours when people are going to work or school," Hernandez told KAWC as he waited in the shade while both pedestrian and vehicles lanes into San Luis Rio Colorado were closed during the groundbreaking. "But if they are going to make it faster, then obviously it will help.”
If you have traveled into San Luis Rio Colorado, you know the wait times on either side at the port can take hours unless you have a SENTRI card. If you think the facilities look outdated, it's because they opened in 1984.
Construction started in May of this year and is expected to be completed by Fall 2028. Between now and then, officials ask that you bring your patience and plan ahead to avoid missing any appointments.
"Growth comes with pain," said San Luis Mayor Nieves Riedel, adding that she knows residents will complain about any delays. "But in the end, it's a project that's going to do wonderful things for our future generations."
The San Luis port project is taking place through President Joe Biden's Investing in America Agenda. It's funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act.
Sen. Kelly said it’s been a long process that has been discussed since long before he entered the Senate in 2020. But It’s one that will be worth it for motorists, pedestrians and business owners.
“What it means to folks in southern Arizona is wait times will go down," he said. "We’re going to have twice the number of lanes. We’re going to have more technology. As important as that is the impact it will have on the economy.”
Officials say the bipartisan law is the largest federal investment ($3.4 billion) in non-commercial regional border infrastructure in just under 40 years.
The San Luis port serves about 3 million motorists and 2.5 million pedestrians every year.
San Luis Rio Colorado Mayor Santos Gonzalez Yescas said border wait times are important for his constituents who enter into Yuma County for work, school, shopping and dining.
"We've waited 25 years (for this port expansion)," Gonzalez Yescas told KAWC. "What's a few more months?"
The expansion and modernization project also will be sustainable, meaning that the port's new all-electric and net-zero design includes water-saving and energy-production features.
Officials say temporary lane closures can be expected but Donald Stakes, executive director of the Office of Field Office Mission Support Directorate for U.S. Customs and Border Protection, says not to worry.
"This project will be done in phases so the port of entry will remain open during construction," Stakes said, adding that San Luis is one of 25 port improvement projects on the U.S. borders with Mexico and Canada.
Other elected officials who attended the groundbreaking ceremony included Yuma Mayor Doug Nicholls, Somerton Mayor Jerry Anaya and Yuma County Supervisors Martin Porchas and Jonathan Lines.
