An official website of the United States government

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

  1. Home
  2. Newsroom
  3. Local Media Release
  4. CBP Announces Next Step in El Paso Ready Lane Segregation Expansion Project

CBP Announces Next Step in El Paso Ready Lane Segregation Expansion Project

Release Date
Fri, 09/14/2018

EL PASO, Texas -- U.S. Customs and Border Protection Office of Field Operations is announcing a project to expand Ready Lane traffic access at the El Paso port of entry. The project will be begin September 17 and is expected to be completed by September 27.

“Ready Lane processing is approximately 76 percent faster than non-Ready Lane traffic,” said Ray Provencio, Acting CBP El Paso Port Director. “We only achieve that benefit when Ready Lanes are used by those possessing Ready Lane documents. This project will help expand and facilitate Ready Lanes access and provide an added benefit to those who possess Ready Lane documents.”

The project includes the expansion of the current Ready Lane segregation access through the installation of lane dividers. The cost of the U.S. project is $19,034.

The project is set to begin on September 17 at the Paso Del Norte international crossing and September 24 at the Bridge of the Americas crossing. In order to minimize the impact on the traveling public construction will occur between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. daily.

The PDN project includes expanding access from one lane to two lanes starting at the international boundary and continuing to the base of the bridge. PDN has 12 vehicle inspection lanes and at any time CBP will be able to designate 8 to 10 of those lanes for exclusive Ready Lane usage.

The BOTA project includes expanding access from one lane to two lanes starting at the international boundary and continuing to the base of the bridge. BOTA has 14 vehicle inspection lanes and at any time CBP will be able to designate 8 to 10 of those lanes for exclusive Ready Lane usage.

A Ready Lane is defined as one in which all passengers age 16 and older have an RFID enabled document for rapid reading of the document. This feature allows traffic to move through the inspection process more quickly because traveler information is automatically read and queried before the vehicle arrives at the primary inspection station.

To use the Ready Lanes you will need a Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative compliant, RFID-enabled card.  Ready Lane RFID enabled documents include: the U.S. Passport Card; Trusted Traveler Cards (NEXUS, SENTRI, Global Entry and FAST cards); the new Enhanced Legal Permanent Resident Card or new Border Crossing Card (B1/B2); the Enhanced Driver's License; and the Enhanced Tribal Card.

Non RFID enabled documents that are not permissible to use in the Ready Lane include but are not limited to U.S. birth certificates, driver licenses, ID cards and social security cards which are not WHTI-approved entry documents.

To avoid travel delays, U.S. Customs and Border Protection encourages travelers to follow the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative. For more information on how to obtain the appropriate card so that you can use the Ready Lane, go to WHTI webpage.  

The Government of Mexico will simultaneously install stationary lane segregation dividers to allow traffic to line up for the Ready Lanes on the Mexico side of the border. Please contact Andres Morales Arreola, Director de Operaciones, Puentes Fronterizos de Chihuahua at amorales@puentesfronterizos.gob.mx or 656-682-1002 for any information on the MX project.

Last Modified: Feb 03, 2021