DOT approves border-crossing projects

The U.S. Department of Transportation said it will accelerate three projects to reduce border crossing delays in California, Texas and Washington.

Transportation Secretary Mary E. Peters on Monday said the projects would receive priority access to discretionary programs, including innovative financing. The projects, which will explore public-private partnerships, which combine traditional federal and state funds with private-sector expertise, are:

   San Diego's Otay Mesa East Port of Entry project, which will create a new port of entry and a 2.7-mile, four-lane highway that links to the existing California highway system to provide more capacity for traffic through the region.

   In Laredo, Texas, the East Loop Bypass Project will build a new rail bridge across the border and new rail bypass around the city, adding rail capacity and improving safety.

   In Blaine, Wash., the Cascade Gateway Expanded Cross-border Advanced Traveler Information System project, which proposes to provide real-time border-crossing wait-times and other travel information through a combination of technologies.

   Kansas City Southern Railway said it is completing preliminary engineering work for a planned for a new railroad crossing at a location between Rio Bravo and El Cenizo, Texas, just south of Laredo, and the DOT's action will will help advance this project through the federal approval process in the U.S. government next year.

Source: American Shipper