The Interstate 5 port of entry has been under construction, with a proposed new crossing at El Chaparral (Virginia Avenue). The following are some articles that discuss the progress of the reconstruction and relocation of the port of entry, which ultimately is planned to result in the relocation of Interstate 5's southern terminus:
http://mexicoperspective.com/San-Ysidro-eastern-pedestrian-crossing-and-El-Chaparral.html
QuoteThe Mexican government hopes to open El Chaparral in the fall, even though the United States does not plan to have I-5 re-routed to meet up with the new port of entry until 2016. For Mexico to get vehicle traffic to El Chaparral in any major way, it likely would have to close or dramatically alter the existing pedestrian crossing to the west of I-5, because vehicle traffic would have to cross over the sidewalk pedestrians currently walk on. ... Not having I-5 rerouted until 2016 leaves Mexico with two major possibilities to get vehicle traffic to El Chaparral this year: Route traffic from the terminus of I-5 along service roads that Mexico and the United States use just south and just north of the border fence, with the option of also getting the United States to allow some traffic to get to El Chaparral from Virginia Avenue in San Ysidro. Using Virginia Avenue undoubtedly would have a major negative impact on traffic going to and from Las Americas Premium Outlets next door.
http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2012/may/30/opening-of-mexicos-el-chaparral-port-of-entry-pre/
QuoteMexico's plans to complete its new El Chaparral port of entry south of the San Ysidro border crossing this year is creating a growing level of pressure for U.S. officials. It comes down to timing: While Mexican officials say they are prepared to open El Chaparral by Nov. 1, the U.S. connection to that facility, which entails a $121 million project to reroute Interstate 5, hasn't even been funded. ... The GSA is studying Mexico's latest proposed solution, which involves building an interim five-lane connection from the United States to El Chaparral. A major concern is that a curve in the provisional route could slow traffic. ... The timing issue has arisen after the United States initiated a $583-million expansion of the San Ysidro border crossing, which is being carried out in three phases. The first phase has been funded at $292 million, but the remaining two have not.
http://mexicoperspective.com/GSA-official-US-may-speed-up-I-5-connection-El-Chaparral-border-crossing.html (this one has a nifty graphic)
QuoteRiesgo, southern border project director for GSA, said he did not know how Mexico would connect traffic to El Chaparral in the interim. "There will be a crossing into Mexico," he said. "It's going to be the curve one, in some fashion, with a combination of an interim connection to El Chaparral." Riesgo said U.S. Ambassador Anthony Wayne "is negotiating that with Mexico." Kleppe had said Friday (May 25) that the GSA is likely to seek to build a southbound pedestrian crossing and traffic roundabout at Virginia Avenue to El Chaparral because the proposed curve would eliminate the current southbound pedestrian border crossing just to the west of I-5. It easily could be that when El Chaparral formally opens before President Felipe Calderón leaves office in December, there will at least be a symbolic opening of Virginia Avenue at El Chaparral to allow traffic to flow from the U.S. into Mexico.
Regards,
Andy
Also here is a link to the GSA fact sheet for the changes to the US Mexico Border Crossing on I-5:
http://www.gsa.gov/graphics/regions/San_Ysidro_LPOE_Fact_Sheet_August_2011.pdf
Regards,
Andy
It would be nice to see a direct (freeway-ish, let's say "medium speed") connection from Calle International EB to the port of entry NB. This currently exists entering Mexico, there's a direct ramp to Calle International WB, which is a reasonably quick road towards the 1-D toll road. And although I don't live there and this is probably meaningless, a connection to the Via Rapida that exists on either side of the TJ River (this may be a good candidate for the "freeways straddling a river" topic).
The pedestrian crossing (from the San Ysidro trolley station) is already way too long. I recently made that trek (with luggage, no less!) - the overall distance was much shorter crossing back into the states. I hope this doesn't make the pedestrian crossing even longer!
Going the other way from 1D to I-5 is pretty nasty... going through in the mid-2000s we got substantially lost in downtown Tijuana.
Perhaps they should build a new border crossing or make it easier for Americans to use other crossings. Currently traffic HAS to go through this one due to Mexican vehicle import regulations. Changing this (either by allowing people to handle vehicle import right at the border at all crossings, or by moving the frontier/interior checkpoints so it's possible to travel between crossings without a permit) would allow Americans to choose other crossings and relieve congestion.
Quote from: deanej on June 09, 2012, 12:30:44 PM
Perhaps they should build a new border crossing or make it easier for Americans to use other crossings. Currently traffic HAS to go through this one due to Mexican vehicle import regulations. Changing this (either by allowing people to handle vehicle import right at the border at all crossings, or by moving the frontier/interior checkpoints so it's possible to travel between crossings without a permit) would allow Americans to choose other crossings and relieve congestion.
Wait...can't drivers go to Otay Mesa or Tecate if they want an alternative to San Ysidro?
Having never been anywhere near Mexico, I don't know the exact dynamics, but I've read that you can't move between many of the border crossings without passing through a Mexican interior checkpoint, where it's illegal to travel without a temporary import permit for your vehicle. It's also illegal to leave Mexico with a temporary import permit, and they can't be surrendered at the border either, but at special offices that aren't near all crossings. It's a bureaucratic mess.
Alternatively, maybe they could get rid of the system altogether. Why not require proof of US registration be with the vehicle while in Mexico, log all cars that enter when they go through customs, and have exit stations on the border where Mexico can make sure the vehicles leave.
Quote from: deanej on June 10, 2012, 01:06:06 PM
Having never been anywhere near Mexico, I don't know the exact dynamics, but I've read that you can't move between many of the border crossings without passing through a Mexican interior checkpoint, where it's illegal to travel without a temporary import permit for your vehicle. It's also illegal to leave Mexico with a temporary import permit, and they can't be surrendered at the border either, but at special offices that aren't near all crossings. It's a bureaucratic mess.
Alternatively, maybe they could get rid of the system altogether. Why not require proof of US registration be with the vehicle while in Mexico, log all cars that enter when they go through customs, and have exit stations on the border where Mexico can make sure the vehicles leave.
Last I checked, travelers to BC, BCS, and northern Sonora are exempt from vehicle import permits.
Quote from: realjd on June 14, 2012, 12:24:22 PM
Quote from: deanej on June 10, 2012, 01:06:06 PM
Having never been anywhere near Mexico, I don't know the exact dynamics, but I've read that you can't move between many of the border crossings without passing through a Mexican interior checkpoint, where it's illegal to travel without a temporary import permit for your vehicle. It's also illegal to leave Mexico with a temporary import permit, and they can't be surrendered at the border either, but at special offices that aren't near all crossings. It's a bureaucratic mess.
Alternatively, maybe they could get rid of the system altogether. Why not require proof of US registration be with the vehicle while in Mexico, log all cars that enter when they go through customs, and have exit stations on the border where Mexico can make sure the vehicles leave.
Last I checked, travelers to BC, BCS, and northern Sonora are exempt from vehicle import permits.
That meshes with what I am aware of, too. I addition to that strip of territory along the USA border, the entire Baja Peninsula is in Mexico's 'border zone'.
Mike
Quote from: deanej on June 10, 2012, 01:06:06 PM
Alternatively, maybe they could get rid of the system altogether. Why not require proof of US registration be with the vehicle while in Mexico, log all cars that enter when they go through customs, and have exit stations on the border where Mexico can make sure the vehicles leave.
This would require every southbound vehicle to stop for a substantial amount of time at customs–which is not currently the case.
Really? I was thinking the customs officer would just key in your state and plate number into a database... theoretically, that should take all of 30 seconds. Even entering car make/model/year/color shouldn't take long. At least, no longer than people wait at the US border while customs makes a show of scanning your passport even if there's nothing to find.
Quote from: deanej on June 15, 2012, 02:19:26 PM
Really? I was thinking the customs officer would just key in your state and plate number into a database... theoretically, that should take all of 30 seconds. Even entering car make/model/year/color shouldn't take long. At least, no longer than people wait at the US border while customs makes a show of scanning your passport even if there's nothing to find.
The current process for driving south to the interior involves recording your VIN, licnese plate number, etc. into a database, abd issuing a window sticker and paper permit–all dependent on your having a driver's license, passport, current registration, and tourist card (all of which they keep photocopies of)–plus the payment of a deposit based on the age of your car, and a nonrefundable processing fee.
The current process for driving south within the border zone involves....just driving across the border.
The current process for driving north across the border involves....just driving across the border. If you had to temporarily import your vehicle to drive to the interior, then you volunarily stop and cancel your permit.
Considering that most cross-border traffic does not travel beyond the border zone, then recording vehicle information for all vehicles to the level of scrutiny that Mexican procedure requires would make for a lot longer lines on both sides of the border.
My proposal would involve Mexico no longer recording vehicle details to that level of scrutiny. The only reason the import permit stuff exists is to protect the Mexican auto market, and they don't need that many details to protect it. The current system is just bureaucracy for the sake of bureaucracy.
Think about it: Step 1 is to verify that the person driving a vehicle in is actually the owner of the vehicle. Proving that involves paperwork.
So it's illegal to drive a car you don't own into the interior? Why? Lots of people drive cars they don't own all the time. For example, the car I drive is technically owned by my Mom because we're too lazy to change the registration (it doesn't affect anything anyways, though I guess that's because the only Mexico I'm within 1000 miles of is the village of Mexico, NY), and I get no problems driving into Canada because of it.
Frankly, I don't understand the concept of having a border zone and interior at all. Maybe it's because I've always lived within 100 miles of the Canadian border, but I don't see the point (frankly, I don't see the point of having border controls at all (the world was just fine without them before World War I), but that's another issue altogether).
QuoteSo it's illegal to drive a car you don't own into the interior? Why? Lots of people drive cars they don't own all the time.
Think about that for a second, especially in a country like Mexico that doesn't have the same law enforcement relationship with the US that Canada does. I think you can do it if you have a notarized letter from the owner of the car, but I'm certainly glad that somebody couldn't say, steal my car and then drive to Mexico through the border crossing and say "yeah, that's my cousin" or something.
Quote from: deanej on June 17, 2012, 12:38:48 PMFrankly, I don't understand the concept of having a border zone and interior at all. Maybe it's because I've always lived within 100 miles of the Canadian border, but I don't see the point (frankly, I don't see the point of having border controls at all (the world was just fine without them before World War I, but that's another issue altogether).
Having a frontier zone allows a more layered approach to be taken to border enforcement; this is part of the reason the waits going into Mexico are typically much shorter than they are going back to the USA. It is partly cultural as well--km 30 checkpoints exist in other Latin American countries, like Peru.
Quote from: corco on June 17, 2012, 07:01:28 PMI think you can do it if you have a notarized letter from the owner of the car, but I'm certainly glad that somebody couldn't say, steal my car and then drive to Mexico through the border crossing and say "yeah, that's my cousin" or something.
you can just go to Kinkos and forge your car's registration. especially if the car is registered somewhere like Michigan - what's the chance that a typical Mexican customs official knows exactly what a real Michigan registration looks like?
With the frontier/interior zones, doesn't that mean that Mexican citizens essentially have to go through customs to stay within their own country if the want to head deeper in? That must limit roadgeeking opportunities if you have to explain yourself to the government every time you cross into the interior.
Quote from: deanej on June 20, 2012, 10:20:04 AM
With the frontier/interior zones, doesn't that mean that Mexican citizens essentially have to go through customs to stay within their own country if the want to head deeper in? That must limit roadgeeking opportunities if you have to explain yourself to the government every time you cross into the interior.
basically, yes, is my understanding - except you don't have to explain yourself nearly as much as they want to look in your trunk and make sure there's no drugs in there.
when I go in two weeks, I will report back with hard data.
Quote from: deanej on June 20, 2012, 10:20:04 AMWith the frontier/interior zones, doesn't that mean that Mexican citizens essentially have to go through customs to stay within their own country if the want to head deeper in? That must limit roadgeeking opportunities if you have to explain yourself to the government every time you cross into the interior.
In my experience, which admittedly pre-dates the current hot but undeclared war against the
narcotraficantes, it is not a burdensome constraint because the inspections tend to be quite perfunctory. The douaniers at the interior frontier checkpoints are interested mainly in verifying temporary vehicle import documentation and in glancing at the contents of your trunk.
At the time I was going to Mexico, film cameras were still in wide use and many travel books advised against taking more than 20 rolls of 35-mm film, but I believe I took more than this and the amounts were never queried. I was never even asked to take my luggage out and unpack it on tables; I think Kphoger and his fellow mission workers have been asked to do this only because gun running from the United States has become a serious problem in the context of the war against the cartels. (We have made our own attempts to stamp out illegal export of guns to Mexico, but since we keep tripping over our own shoelaces with fiascos like Operation Fast and Furious, the Mexicans are quite properly reluctant to trust in the efficacy of our measures.)
I even took pictures of the approach signing for the internal frontier checkpoint on Mex. 16 just west of Ojinaga (which, if memory serves, begins around the 300 m mark with a white sign reading "PARE PARA INSPECCION ADUANAL A 300 m"). The detail manning the checkpoint sent an officer out in a car to check on me; they must have had hidden cameras monitoring the approaches since I don't think I was in direct line of sight of the checkpoint buildings. When he saw that I was just taking pictures of the signs, however, he did a three-point turn and drove back to the checkpoint, and I was subjected to no special scrutiny when I finally made my way there and presented my documentation. I think the real purpose of the check was to ensure that I had not broken down, which does happen from time to time. (The first time I did the drive from Ojinaga to Chihuahua, I stopped for a family whose Ford Ranger pickup truck had broken down and would not re-start. I looked under the hood and realized there was little I could do to help them since their truck had a carburetor instead of fuel injectors and it was by then almost ten years since I had last attempted repairs on a carburetor.)
Quote from: deanej on June 20, 2012, 10:20:04 AM
With the frontier/interior zones, doesn't that mean that Mexican citizens essentially have to go through customs to stay within their own country if the want to head deeper in? That must limit roadgeeking opportunities if you have to explain yourself to the government every time you cross into the interior.
To Mexican citizens, the stop would be no more of a hassle than any other police or military checkpoint. I've actually never even had to exchange more than about three sentences at the interior checkpoint; the majority of traffic is just waved through. I doubt Mexican citizens would have to 'explain themselves' any more than just saying where they're driving from and to.
Quote from: deanej on June 20, 2012, 10:20:04 AM
With the frontier/interior zones, doesn't that mean that Mexican citizens essentially have to go through customs to stay within their own country if the want to head deeper in? That must limit roadgeeking opportunities if you have to explain yourself to the government every time you cross into the interior.
US Citizens living in places along the Mexican border like San Diego, Yuma, and El Paso have to pass through similar inland CBP checkpoints also to head farther into the US. If you're obviously American they usually just wave you on (sometimes asking citizenship), but it's not unheard of to get your car thoroughly searched.
there are a few transverse checkpoints as well on I-8 - you get examined, but you do not exit the border region. furthermore, border patrol has been known to operate as far north as Needles, 200 miles north of Mexico.
Quote from: agentsteel53 on June 21, 2012, 01:41:17 PM
there are a few transverse checkpoints as well on I-8 - you get examined, but you do not exit the border region. furthermore, border patrol has been known to operate as far north as Needles, 200 miles north of Mexico.
They like to hang out at the commercial ag check stations in/out of the Florida peninsula, and I often see one watching southbound traffic for some reason on I95 just south of Georgia.
I saw a CBP cop running radar (my radar detector lit up) down in the Keys last year. Why CBP would be enforcing speeding laws is beyond me.
Quote from: agentsteel53 on June 21, 2012, 01:41:17 PMfurthermore, border patrol has been known to operate as far north as Needles, 200 miles north of Mexico.
I've seen the U.S. Border Patrol working in Washington, D.C. (and
not near the DHS headquarters (https://maps.google.com/maps?q=38.938056,-77.082222&t=m&z=16)).
Several times, I have seen them (apparently) checking passengers on arriving Greyhound buses at the Washington, D.C. bus station on First Street, N.E. (https://maps.google.com/maps?q=First+street,+n.e.+and+L+street,+n.e.,+washington,+d.c.&hl=en&sll=38.938056,-77.082222&sspn=0.008812,0.014763&hnear=1st+St+NE+%26+L+St+NE,+Washington,+District+of+Columbia+20002&t=m&z=16)
Quote from: cpzilliacus on June 21, 2012, 10:27:38 PM
Quote from: agentsteel53 on June 21, 2012, 01:41:17 PMfurthermore, border patrol has been known to operate as far north as Needles, 200 miles north of Mexico.
I've seen the U.S. Border Patrol working in Washington, D.C. (and not near the DHS headquarters (https://maps.google.com/maps?q=38.938056,-77.082222&t=m&z=16)).
Several times, I have seen them (apparently) checking passengers on arriving Greyhound buses at the Washington, D.C. bus station on First Street, N.E. (https://maps.google.com/maps?q=First+street,+n.e.+and+L+street,+n.e.,+washington,+d.c.&hl=en&sll=38.938056,-77.082222&sspn=0.008812,0.014763&hnear=1st+St+NE+%26+L+St+NE,+Washington,+District+of+Columbia+20002&t=m&z=16)
CBP is allowed to operate (i.e. stop and question people at random) within 100 miles of US borders, which include coastlines. DC is inside of that zone. You'll see them at bus and Amtrak stations at most big cities inside of that zone.
The last time I was in PR, they were in the jetway asking the citizenship of every person boarding the flight back to the mainland. I don't know if that's common on flights from PR but I thought it unusual for a domestic flight. Usually it's the TSA harassing folks at the jetway.
My opinions are stronger on US checkpoints. When in a foreign country like Mexico, you follow their rules. Inland checkpoints there don't bother me there.
Quote from: realjd on June 21, 2012, 11:54:54 PMI saw a CBP cop running radar (my radar detector lit up) down in the Keys last year. Why CBP would be enforcing speeding laws is beyond me.
I've seen that on I-15 near the Temecula checkpoint, about 70mi north of San Diego.
Quote from: realjd on June 21, 2012, 11:54:54 PM
CBP is allowed to operate (i.e. stop and question people at random) within 100 miles of US borders, which include coastlines.
explain Needles, then.
assuming that "stop and question people at random" is not a violation of the fourth amendment, and that asking for one's citizenship (and, if not "US", asking for one's papers) is not eerily like East Germany.
Quote from: agentsteel53 on June 22, 2012, 01:00:12 PM
Quote from: realjd on June 21, 2012, 11:54:54 PM
CBP is allowed to operate (i.e. stop and question people at random) within 100 miles of US borders, which include coastlines.
explain Needles, then.
assuming that "stop and question people at random" is not a violation of the fourth amendment, and that asking for one's citizenship (and, if not "US", asking for one's papers) is not eerily like East Germany.
It
is like the former East Germany (good riddance) and, for that matter, the former Soviet Union.
If there is a Hell (and I am not convinced of same), then I hope that the East German puppet leadership (Ulbricht and Honecker) are enjoying eternity with their former boss Joe Stalin, and with fellow puppet Nicolae Ceausescu.
As much as I loathe the idea of interior checkpoints, I'm starting to think that the US and Canada should adopt this system after watching some YouTube videos of the Mexican border and being shocked at the lack of border controls for those with nothing to declare entering the border zone. It would really solve a LOT of traffic problems at places such as Niagara Falls as well as the Derby Lane issue (as well as the Seaway Bridge/Cornwall issue), and would have the side effect of killing all proposals for I-98 (due to ON 401).
Needles is an agriculture checkpoint, not a border crossing checkpoint.
Quote from: realjd on June 21, 2012, 01:29:21 PM
Quote from: deanej on June 20, 2012, 10:20:04 AM
With the frontier/interior zones, doesn't that mean that Mexican citizens essentially have to go through customs to stay within their own country if the want to head deeper in? That must limit roadgeeking opportunities if you have to explain yourself to the government every time you cross into the interior.
US Citizens living in places along the Mexican border like San Diego, Yuma, and El Paso have to pass through similar inland CBP checkpoints also to head farther into the US. If you're obviously American they usually just wave you on (sometimes asking citizenship), but it's not unheard of to get your car thoroughly searched.
Last I checked, we aren't supposed to "show our papers" traveling around. I tire of being harassed by the border patrol when I haven't even traversed any major political boundaries. It isn't any of their business where I'm going, where I am coming from, or what citizenship I have. It either boils down to racial profiling (bad) or harasment of US citizens (just as bad). Sad there is no big outcry that US citizens (and non-citizens alike) are harassed daily by Federal officers. Sure a big outcry when there is some "gun control" bill... yet none for the erosion of rights. I think about that every time I travel through the checkpoint on I-5 in Camp Pendelton. Here I am... surrounded by people that are supposedly protecting our freedom... going through a place that erodes that very freedom.
Quote from: rschen7754 on November 23, 2013, 09:46:51 PM
Needles is an agriculture checkpoint, not a border crossing checkpoint.
tell that to the border patrol vehicles which are camped there.
Quote from: vdeane on June 10, 2012, 01:06:06 PMHaving never been anywhere near Mexico, I don't know the exact dynamics, but I've read that you can't move between many of the border crossings without passing through a Mexican interior checkpoint, where it's illegal to travel without a temporary import permit for your vehicle. It's also illegal to leave Mexico with a temporary import permit, and they can't be surrendered at the border either, but at special offices that aren't near all crossings. It's a bureaucratic mess.
It's over a year late, but now that this thread has been bumped, I'd like to address a few of these points.
* It is not actually illegal to leave Mexico with a valid Mexican temporary vehicle importation. You are free to cross the border (both external and internal) multiple times during the validity period. What actually causes trouble is not to cancel the importation in Mexico before it expires. If you fail to do this, the assumption is that you have sold the car illegally in Mexico and it then becomes liable for confiscation as contraband (and you presumably also become liable to fines) the next time you enter Mexico with it and attempt to clear customs with it.
* To the best of my knowledge, we (the members of AARoads that have travelled in Mexico by private passenger car and have experience with the temporary vehicle importation process) have not actually confirmed that it is impossible to travel parallel to the land border for its entire length without being stopped and turned back at an internal frontier checkpoint. We only suspect that this is the case, based on known locations of such checkpoints. Unless you make a special project of mapping checkpoints along the entire border, you have to guess at the location of places where temporary vehicle importation permits can be cancelled, and the guesses you make must be conservative unless you are willing to risk sixty miles or even more of out-of-the-way travel looking for a place to cancel a permit before you return to the US for good.
* Permits can be issued and returned at any frontier checkpoint facility that has a Banjercito module. (Banjercito--an acronym for Banco de Ejercito = "Army Bank"--is the designated agent for the financial component of temporary vehicle importation.) Sometimes this is right at the border (as at Ojinaga), and sometimes this is at the km 30 internal frontier checkpoint (as at Nogales and Juárez). Guidebooks (e.g. the AAA Mexico TourBook) state vaguely that "some major" crossings have Banjercito modules right at the border; they never state the precise locations of Banjercito modules in the vicinity of any crossing. It has been my impression in general that Banjercito modules are fairly footloose, since they tend to be housed in prefab buildings (Portakabins and the like) rather than being integrated into the permanent checkpoint structures. What all this means is that you can't count on redundancy in Banjercito module provision in the vicinity of any border crossing. Therefore, if you intend to return to the US permanently and choose to pass a km 30 module without stopping, you are gambling that there will be a module right at the border that you can use. I rolled the dice this way in the Juárez vicinity when I was returning from my first Mexico trip in 2002, and came up snake eyes--I wanted to return my permit at Santa Teresa but found no module there and had to backtrack to the Juárez km 30 checkpoint.
Speaking of checkpoints, what do the agricultural checkpoints actually do. I had visions of being hassled because I had some plant material in the car (some redwood pine cones I had picked up as a souvenir) but on the I-5 northern checkpoint they were just waiving everyone through. Did it help that I had California plates- would I be singled out for attention if I drove my own car with Minnesota plates all the way there?
Quote from: Mdcastle on December 18, 2013, 10:39:56 AM
Speaking of checkpoints, what do the agricultural checkpoints actually do. I had visions of being hassled because I had some plant material in the car (some redwood pine cones I had picked up as a souvenir) but on the I-5 northern checkpoint they were just waiving everyone through. Did it help that I had California plates- would I be singled out for attention if I drove my own car with Minnesota plates all the way there?
They are looking for importation of any of a number of fruits and vegetables in the hope of intercepting agricultural pests. The standard questions are: "Where are you coming from?" and "Do you have any fruits or vegetables?" I saw them open up the back of a truck in front of me, possibly standard practice for a commercial vehicle. On the occasions I've driven through there, I have been pulling my travel trailer; obviously a potential motherlode of medfly-infested oranges and other nefarious critters. The first time (knowing of these checkpoints), I had brought my vegetables up into the cab of our truck and showed them to the agent, and he let us through without delay. The second time, the agent was on a phone call and waved us through. So, I guess I would infer from this limited experience that they concentrate on commercial vehicles potentially carrying agricultural products, though the driver of a passenger car, regardless of the registration, may at least be asked the questions above.
Quote from: Mdcastle on December 18, 2013, 10:39:56 AMSpeaking of checkpoints, what do the agricultural checkpoints actually do.
To add to High Plains Traveler's comments, their concern is primarily about wholesale agricultural goods and animals (including ferrets) that are considered agricultural pests in California. The first time I drove through a California agricultural inspection station and was asked whether I was carrying any fruit or vegetables, I said "No" around a mouthful of carrot, with the rest of the carrot in my fingers and other carrots in a bag in the front passenger seat. I was waved through.
Some people have observed Border Patrol vehicles parked near agricultural inspection stations in California, including ones such as the one on I-40 at Needles which are over 100 miles from the border and so are outside the border search zone where special rules apply. The speculation (so far not explicitly confirmed) is that the Border Patrol officers monitor vehicles passing through the agricultural inspection stations in hopes of observing something that would give the Border Patrol reasonable suspicion for stopping them for immigration violations further down the road.
Quote from: J N Winkler on December 18, 2013, 11:57:48 AM
Some people have observed Border Patrol vehicles parked near agricultural inspection stations in California, including ones such as the one on I-40 at Needles which are over 100 miles from the border and so are outside the border search zone where special rules apply. The speculation (so far not explicitly confirmed) is that the Border Patrol officers monitor vehicles passing through the agricultural inspection stations in hopes of observing something that would give the Border Patrol reasonable suspicion for stopping them for immigration violations further down the road.
there's something about that which just feels wrong, even though apparently it is all legal according to the letter of the law.
Quote from: Mdcastle on December 18, 2013, 10:39:56 AM
Speaking of checkpoints, what do the agricultural checkpoints actually do. I had visions of being hassled because I had some plant material in the car (some redwood pine cones I had picked up as a souvenir) but on the I-5 northern checkpoint they were just waiving everyone through. Did it help that I had California plates- would I be singled out for attention if I drove my own car with Minnesota plates all the way there?
They wave through white guys.
Quote from: J N Winkler on December 18, 2013, 11:57:48 AM
Quote from: Mdcastle on December 18, 2013, 10:39:56 AMSpeaking of checkpoints, what do the agricultural checkpoints actually do.
To add to High Plains Traveler's comments, their concern is primarily about wholesale agricultural goods and animals (including ferrets) that are considered agricultural pests in California. The first time I drove through a California agricultural inspection station and was asked whether I was carrying any fruit or vegetables, I said "No" around a mouthful of carrot, with the rest of the carrot in my fingers and other carrots in a bag in the front passenger seat. I was waved through.
F-ing awesome.
The Interstate 5 San Ysidro Port of Entry project continues. The main project webpage is at http://www.gsa.gov/portal/category/105703. The project phases, some of which are complete and others still pending, are currently defined as follows:
Phase 1A: Pedestrian Bridge — Completed April 2011
Phase 1B: Northbound Vehicular Inspection — Completed December 2014
Phase 1C: Southbound Pedestrian Crossing — Completed August 2012
Phase 1D: Western Pedestrian Facility — Summer 2016
Phase 2: Administration and Pedestrian Building — Fall 2019
Phase 3: I-5 North and Southbound Inspection Facilities — Fall 2018
Virginia Avenue Transportation Center — Summer 2016
Some recent media articles have discussed the major changes at the border crossing, including http://laprensa-sandiego.org/stories/border-crossing-modernization/, which describes the sheer magnitude of travel lanes for queueing for inspection:
QuoteIn November, 2014, the first phase of the modernization of the San Ysidro POE was inaugurated, consisting of expanding to 25 northbound lanes with 46 tandem booths — and the construction of a new Customs and Border Protection (CBP) administrative building — in order to reduce border wait times to 15-40 minutes. This goal was achieved during the first three months of operation after the expansion, however, wait times are once again on the rise. The remaining phases are expected to be concluded by 2018. The overall modernization project consists of three phases: phase one was the primary and secondary inspection facilities, the administration building, and the San Ysidro bridge; phase two will be the construction of a new northbound pedestrian crossing; and phase 3 will connect I-5 directly to the El Chaparral southbound facilities, as well as invert the old southbound lanes and add them to the 25 existing northbound lanes to reach a total of 33 lanes.
According to a General Services Administration (GSA) study, more than 50,000 vehicles cross through San Ysidro each day, and that number is expected to grow by up to 87% by 2030. Because more than 18 million vehicles and 8 million pedestrians cross through this POE each year, reducing border wait times has become a priority for both Californias. The San Ysidro Chamber of Commerce has stated that these border wait times cost San Diego County $7 million a year in losses.
The pedestrian port of entry (Virginia Ave) will also be significantly different too: http://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/2015/aug/08/stringers-san-ysidro-border-pedestrian-booths/
QuoteSan Ysidro, however, will already receive a Pedestrian West Facility and a Virginia Avenue Transit Center in Summer 2016. Located adjacent to the Las Americas Outlet Mall, the GSA already unveiled designs for the Pedestrian West Facility back in May 2014. At the time, community members said it looked like a "road stop bathroom." The GSA presented the same design at The Front, this time without public comment. The Pedestrian West facility will have ten northbound and two reversible pedestrian inspection booths.
The GSA also unveiled the new transit center artist renderings, which will accommodate four buses, ten taxis, 18 parking-only vehicles, and five pedicabs.
A few of these renderings are at the above link, or you can see them at the following links:
Environmental Review: http://www.gsa.gov/portal/category/105527
General Renderings: http://www.gsa.gov/portal/content/173239
Building: http://www.gsa.gov/portal/mediaId/167235/fileName/San_Ysidro_Fact_Sheet_-_July_2015.action
Virginia Ave Pedestrian Crossing: http://www.gsa.gov/portal/mediaId/231975/fileName/Virginia_Avenue_Fact_Sheet_(1).action