California, Mexico sign toll revenue-sharing plan to boost trade

The state of California has agreed to a toll revenue-sharing plan with Mexico to help support the construction of key projects like the $1.1 billion Otay Mesa East-Otay II border crossing south of San Diego.

The signed deal with Mexico, announced Monday, provides a 50-50 toll-revenue split.

“This new agreement will bring economic prosperity to our cross-border region,” California Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis said in a statement. “The Otay Mesa East Port of Entry is a vital link in our nation’s supply chain and in creating thousands of jobs. This historic revenue-sharing agreement solidifies the joint commitment of California and the government of Mexico to boosting trade and creating jobs.”

Otay Mesa East-Otay II will develop a new U.S.-Mexico border crossing 3 miles east of the original Otay Mesa port of entry. It will include 10 lanes, five for passenger vehicles and five for cargo transport. The project, which began construction in August, is scheduled to be completed in 2024.

The goal is to reduce wait times for trucks at the Otay Mesa border crossing to a 20-minute average. Current wait times average 150 minutes for commercial vehicles.

The Otay Mesa port of entry totaled more than $50 billion in trade in 2021. It ranked as the second-busiest Mexico border crossing last year with more than 936,000 commercial trucks.

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