SE Arizona border travelers should expect construction delays until May

PHOENIX – Travelers crossing the U.S.-Mexico border in Douglas should plan for delays while extensive improvements are made to the southeastern Arizona port of entry over the next five months.

Construction at the Raul Hector Castro Port of Entry, which connects Douglas to Agua Prieta, Mexico, began Monday, according to a U.S. Customs and Border Protection press release.

“CBP is committed to maintaining the highest service standards possible. At times that requires infrastructure enhancements and construction that may cause delays,” Jose “Rene” Ortega, acting port director, said in the release. “CBP makes every effort to mitigate these impacts to the greatest extent possible.”

Seven primary inspection booths and two commercial truck booths as well as the port’s cargo dock and exit booths will be replaced during the project, which is expected to be completed in May 2020.

Crews also will lay new asphalt and install a pedestrian turnstile with a disability-accessible entrance.

The upgrades are needed to meet the growing demand for inspections and improve the crossing experience in general, according to the release.

Four or five primary lanes will remain open during peak commuting times while the port of entry is under construction.

Travelers can use the CBP’s border wait times website to plan their border crossings or download the agency’s border wait times app to their Apple or Android devices.

According to a University of Arizona study, about 850,000 pedestrians and more than 1.7 million vehicles carrying more than 3 million passengers used the Douglas crossing in 2018.

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