Siempre Viva Bridge opens in Otay Mesa as part of project to reduce border crossing time
OTAY MESA, Calif. (FOX 5/KUSI) — Crossing times at the U.S.-Mexico border could be on the road to improving as SANDAG and Caltrans are holding a ribbon-cutting ceremony Wednesday to celebrate the opening of the Siempre Viva Bridge in Otay Mesa.
The celebration will also include the unveiling of an additional mile stretch of the SR-11 freeway.
The speaking portion of the event at 2 p.m. will take place under the Siempre Viva Bridge, while the ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held on the bridge, over SR-11.
The opening of the roadway network is part of the State Route 11/ Otay Mesa East Port of Entry Project, which broke ground in August 2022 as a joint venture between SANDAG, Caltrans and state and federal partners in the U.S. and Mexican governments.
The project was designed to help improve border crossing for the San Diego-Baja California region by building a new land port of entry that aims to decrease wait times at the border and enhance security.
"The proposed border improvements will provide fast, predictable and secure border crossings by constructing a four-lane tolled road connecting directly to a state-of-the-art Customs and Border Protection Land Port of Entry and a California Highway Patrol Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Facility," representatives from Caltrans and SANDAG said in a press release.
According to SANDAG, the anticipated opening of the Otay Mesa East Port of Entry is slated for 2024, while the project has secured $592 million in local, state, and federal funding.
The total cost, which includes construction on both sides of the border, is estimated at $1.1 billion.
