Arizona City Gifts Land for New Cross-Border Trucking Port
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The U.S. General Services Administration and the city of Douglas marked the transfer of 80 acres to a new commercial port of entry site in development in Cochise County, Ariz., along the U.S.-Mexico border.
Some 130 people attended a Dec. 4 signing ceremony hosted by city Mayor Donald Huish at the future construction site for the new port, 5 miles west of the existing Raul Hector Castro Land Port of Entry.
“We are not just investing in infrastructure; we are investing in our community’s future,” Huish said. “This project will enhance trade, border security, create jobs and strengthen our connections countywide, statewide and nationally.”
The Castro port, expanded 27 years ago from the original facility built in 1933, can no longer handle today’s traffic and commercial vehicle inspection demands. It is the only commercial and noncommercial border crossing between Douglas in southeastern Arizona and Agua Prieta in Mexico.
The new commercial facility will enable Customs and Border Protection officers to process commodities with greater efficiency and safety, predicted Martin Gomez, CBP area port director in the Douglas area. “We are determined to continue our support of the economic development by encouraging increased traffic volume through our future port.”
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The federal government collaborated with Douglas to develop a two-port system that enhances the government’s ability to complete its inspection mission requirements while supporting the city’s urban and economic development goals. The future commercial port of entry will work in parallel with the existing Castro crossing, which will shift its noncommercial activities.
“The construction of a new port of entry in Douglas, Ariz., will enhance U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers’ ability to inspect commercial vehicles and process goods, making commerce more efficient and spurring economic growth in the region,” said U.S. Rep. Juan Ciscomani (R-Ariz.), former vice chair of the Arizona-Mexico Commission. “I understand firsthand the importance of fostering trade and commerce between Arizona and Mexico while enhancing security. I am glad to see federal and local partners working to make this project a reality.”
The city intends to attract public and private investments to build industrial facilities near the new border crossing to support more regional commercial traffic passing through the area.
GSA has budgeted $319 million for the project, which has an estimated completion date of 2028. Once the facility opens, CBP will relocate all commercial operations there that are currently being handled at the existing Castro port.
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“At the current Castro port, both inbound and outbound trucks maneuver within the same undersized commercial vehicle inspection compound, which slows traffic and poses safety hazards. This change will increase the number of commercial vehicle inspection lanes from one to four and the number of commercial vehicle inspection docks from 12 to 36 while also allowing for the processing of oversized mining equipment too large to cross at the Castro port,” according to GSA.
In October, GSA awarded a $274.7 million design-build contract to an Arizona firm for the new Douglas Land Port of Entry.
U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) said, “This new port will boost trade, create jobs and enhance border security with modern technology — a major step forward for Douglas and Arizona’s economy.”
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