Drivers and freight shippers will experience less delay at two U.S. border crossings, thanks to a U.S. Department of Transportation effort to prioritize and accelerate projects that ease border congestion.


"Congestion at our borders is choking both travelers and commerce with excessive wait times and negatively impacting air quality," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary E. Peters. "By prioritizing the projects, we can improve the movement of people and goods across our borders and help to maintain these important economic lifelines."

Peters added that the projects would receive priority access to discretionary programs, including innovative financing. They also demonstrate the types of innovative solutions needed to immediately and effectively reduce border congestion.

At the southern border, San Diego's Otay Mesa East Port of Entry project 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.

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