San Luis port of entry makes federal budget

BY DARIN FENGER, SUN STAFF WRITER
Feb 5, 2007

A $7-million redesign of the U.S. Port of Entry at San Luis, Ariz., passed its second-to-last hurdle Monday, when it was added to the Bush Administration's 2008 budget.

Local economic officials and politicians heralded Monday's news as a major development, but stressed that the funds still need to be approved by Congress.

"This is just great news," said Jim Chessum, administrator of the Greater Yuma Port Authority. "This is one more step toward a very critical piece. We'll know what happens at the end of the year when Congress approves the budget."

Chessum stressed the economic and social importance of rethinking the infrastructure that coordinates the passing of people and cars between Arizona and Sonora, Mexico.

"Right now, San Luis is just saturated with traffic. People are simply choosing not to cross the border. People aren't crossing for a movie or to pick up a hamburger," he said. "People not crossing the border hurts revenues — in both directions."

Hallelujah! I tried to cross both this past Saturday and again yesterday just to get the mail and the lines for both cars and walking across were more than an hour long. It is so aggravating! This improve at the port is long overdue. They say that 30,000 people cross at San Luis everyday. There are only 6 lanes for traffic and two for pedestrians. -mm