Construction expected to delay traffic at Arizona-Mexico border crossing for 4-5 months

A construction project is expected to create travel delays at the Arizona-Mexico border near Yuma this summer and fall, officials said.

Crews will start installing equipment to improve operations and infrastructure at the San Luis I Port of Entry on June 20, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Officials say the project, which is expected to last four to five months, could lengthen wait times for passenger vehicles traveling from Sonora, Mexico, into the United States south of Yuma.

San Luis, Arizona’s westernmost port of entry, consists of two border crossings: San Luis I, which is for passenger and pedestrian traffic, and San Luis II, which is for commercial freight and oversized vehicles.

San Luis I serves about 3 million drivers and 2.5 million pedestrians each year, according to federal officials.

Upcoming work is part of $356 million border crossing project

The equipment installation is part of a larger $356 million modernization and expansion project that is expected to wrap up in spring 2029.

In March, 16 new northbound vehicle inspection lanes opened at San Luis I.

“This expansion will significantly increase inspection capacity, strengthen border security, support economic growth and provide a more efficient crossing experience for residents of San Luis and Yuma County, as well as millions of travelers who depend on this vital port each year,” Carlos Gonzalez, Customs and Border Protection’s acting director of field operations for Arizona, said in a press release at the time.

Related

16 new inspection lanes to open at San Luis border crossingFBI investigating shooting at ICE field office in PhoenixUS Marshals rescue missing Arizona girl; 2 suspects taken into ICE custodyRep. Greg Stanton calls DHS warehouse purchases ‘a joke’ amid Surprise ICE facility pauseHuman smuggler who beat, abandoned 2 brothers in Arizona desert gets 6 yearsDHS, Arizona file order asking judge to pause Surprise ICE facility litigation