MEXICO – U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the General Services Administration (GSA) and the Anzalduas International Bridge Board (AIBB) broke ground this week on the construction of a commercial infrastructure improvement project at the Anzalduas Land Port of Entry (LPOE).
Under CBP’s Grant Acceptance Program (DAP), AIBB will help fund the construction of a complete commercial inspection and processing facility. The upgrade will equip the Anzalduas LPOE with the necessary infrastructure to service cargo vehicles.
The new southbound facility will be located on the west side of the LPOE, improvements include upgrading the empty commercial vehicle inspection area; plus access roads, a primary outbound screening booth, eight commercial secondary verification bays, an outbound and control booth, as well as a cargo export/processing office.
Also, the new northbound facility will be located on the east side of the LPOE and will include Unified Cargo Processing technology that will assist Mexican and U.S. CBP customs officials in inspecting inbound cargo and expediting its clearance.
CBP reported that the improvements and upgrades will also include the addition of non-intrusive pre-primary inspection technology, 30 secondary screening bays, cargo processing and administrative offices, an operations command center, a dedicated Customs-Trade Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) Free and Secure Trade (FAST) lane, HAZMAT facility, U.S. Department of Transportation verification collocation, as well as ancillary structures and other improvements to operations.
“With the continued increase in imports from Mexico, having these additional spaces and improvements will have a significant positive impact on our ability to speed up processing time and get shipments on their way to U.S. trade,” said Hidalgo/Pharr/Anzalduas Port Director Carlos Rodriguez.
“The addition of the lanes and infrastructure improvements on this project will help accommodate the rapidly growing economy in the city of McAllen; it will also reinvigorate the economic vitality of the city by creating new international trade opportunities and incentivizing new local jobs,” said Pete Flores, Deputy Executive Commissioner, Office of Field Operations.
On any given day, the Anzalduas Bridge receives between 2,500 and 5,000 commercial vehicles. In addition to the high commercial traffic, the LPOE is strategically located on the border due to its proximity to more than 250 manufacturing facilities.
“The City of McAllen and the Anzalduas International Bridge Board remain committed to working with our federal partners to identify and implement innovative methods to streamline traffic and commerce at our international port of entry, making border crossings and inspections work more efficiently, while helping our trading partners process and cross their goods more efficiently,” said City of McAllen Mayor and Anzalduas International Bridge Board Chairman Javier Villalobos.
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