LAREDO, Texas – U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Laredo Port of Entry is advising transportation stakeholders and the traveling public that effective on Feb. 9, all bus traffic at Lincoln-Juarez Bridge will be temporarily routed to the former import lot below the southeast area of the bridge for processing during the second stage of the $62 million GSA port infrastructure improvement project.
“We are advising the public that we are ready to process bus passengers at the former import lot at Lincoln-Juarez Bridge so that we can continue to process passenger vehicle traffic while the western canopy is fenced off, demolished and the new processing building is constructed,” said Port Director Gregory Alvarez, Laredo Port of Entry. “This second stage of the port improvement project will last approximately 18 months.”
In collaboration with our GSA partners, CBP has tested, assessed and refined processing and additional technology is in place in the former import lot to inspect bus passengers, their luggage, the buses themselves and to issue tourist permits.
During this second stage of construction, the Western Secondary Inspection Canopy, which dates back to the late 1970s, will be demolished and a new two-story vehicle and bus processing facility will be built. All secondary inspection operations for vehicular traffic will shift to the Eastern Canopy during this period, which is expected to be completed in summer 2017.
In the final stage, the Easternmost Secondary Inspection Canopy will be demolished and after demolition is complete, bus traffic will return topside to be processed at the new processing facility.
Throughout this construction project, in order to help facilitate passenger traffic, CBP continues to encourage frequent cross border travelers to obtain radiofrequency identification (RFID) technology-enabled entry documents to use Ready Lanes or to consider enrolling in the Secure Electronic Network for Travelers Rapid Inspection (SENTRI) program, which provides a dedicated lane for the exclusive use of SENTRI members.
Ready Lanes provide expedited processing through readers that capture information from RFID-enabled entry documents such as newer versions of the laser visa, resident alien and passport cards.
Processing in Ready Lanes is 20 percent faster than normal lanes and provide a time savings of up to 20 seconds per vehicle. Those who have renewed their entry documents within the last 24 months already have RFID-enabled documents and may not know it.
For more information regarding enrollment in trusted traveler programs such as SENTRI or Global Entry, please consult the following link.