{"id":346257,"date":"2025-10-31T19:32:12","date_gmt":"2025-10-31T19:32:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/346257\/"},"modified":"2025-10-31T19:32:12","modified_gmt":"2025-10-31T19:32:12","slug":"an-additional-lane-for-sentri-travelers-at-san-ysidro-port","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/346257\/","title":{"rendered":"An additional lane for SENTRI travelers at San Ysidro port"},"content":{"rendered":"

Travelers enrolled in SENTRI and Global Entry who cross the U.S.-Mexico border through the San Ysidro Port of Entry will soon have a second option to get in line.<\/p>\n

U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced a plan on Friday in collaboration with Mexico to provide an additional access point for vehicles\u00a0at the busy port of entry to ease border traffic that was congesting Tijuana city streets.<\/p>\n

The upcoming change, part of a four-month pilot program, will convert the general all-traffic crossing lane on Calle Segunda (also known as Benito Ju\u00e1rez) in Tijuana into an exclusive lane for SENTRI and Global Entry cardholders on the western side of the port. The existing trusted-traveler access through Boulevard Padre Kino on the eastern side will continue to operate as usual, officials said.<\/p>\n

Those with the required Ready Lane<\/a> documents, such as U.S. passport cards or RFID-enabled visa cards, will continue to line up on Tijuana\u2019s V\u00eda R\u00e1pida Oriente. Paseo de los H\u00e9roes will now be the sole access point for all-traffic lanes for those with other travel documents that are not chipped. Paseo de los H\u00e9roes will also remain the access point for the medical lane.<\/p>\n

A specific date for when the changes would take effect was not provided, but Tijuana officials estimate mid-November.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur top priority remains safeguarding our nation and maintaining the integrity and security of our border,\u201d said San Ysidro Port Director Mariza Marin in a news release.<\/p>\n

\"General,General, medical, Ready and SENTRI lanes during morning traffic at the San Ysidro Port of Entry on Sept. 25 in Tijuana. (Alejandro Tamayo \/ The San Diego Union-Tribune)<\/p>\n

\u201cThrough this pilot program and our continued partnership with the Government of Mexico, we are identifying opportunities to enhance efficiency and improve the border crossing experience at the San Ysidro Port of Entry, devoting more attention to high-risk travelers and vehicles.\u201d<\/p>\n

Global Entry and the Secure Electronic Network for Travelers Rapid Inspection, better known as SENTRI, are U.S. Customs and Border Protection programs<\/a>. Members must go through a vetting process, and once approved, they can cross the border through dedicated lanes.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis four-month pilot program will be monitored closely and evaluated to determine its long-term feasibility and whether the changes will be made permanent,\u201d CBP officials said. \u201cThe initiative prioritizes security and effectiveness; however, the pilot may be terminated at any time if unforeseen challenges arise.\u201d<\/p>\n

Border commuters have noted that, on busy days or during peak hours, the line can stretch back about 2.5 miles, going all the way to L\u00e1zaro C\u00e1rdenas High School in Zona R\u00edo. The route runs through one of the city\u2019s busiest areas, near hospitals, schools and businesses.<\/p>\n

Since 2014, SENTRI cardholders crossing the border at San Ysidro must line up on the route that begins on Padre Kino in Tijuana. Back then, the line was moved<\/a> from its former spot next to Tijuana\u2019s V\u00eda R\u00e1pida to ease traffic congestion.<\/p>\n

Since then, however, more people have started enrolling in the border program.<\/p>\n

\"SENTRISENTRI traffic backs up in Zona Rio on Sept. 23 in Tijuana, near hospitals, schools and businesses. (Alejandro Tamayo \/ The San Diego Union-Tribune)<\/p>\n

CBP data\u00a0show that, from October 2024 through August 2025, 5.7 million passenger vehicles were processed through SENTRI lanes at the port of entry \u2014 representing 42% of all San Ysidro border traffic. Meanwhile, the Ready Lane processed 6.1 million crossings (44%), and 1.9 million vehicles (14%) passed through the regular all-traffic lanes.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe circumstances have changed entirely,\u201d said Pedro Montejo Peterson, Tijuana\u2019s secretary of economic development. \u201cThe city\u2019s infrastructure wasn\u2019t prepared for that, and it\u2019s causing traffic jams, especially in the mornings and on weekends.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tijuana and CBP officials have been discussing the plan for some time.<\/p>\n

Joaqu\u00edn Luken, executive director of the nonprofit Smart Border Coalition, said he welcomed the addition of the new access lanes \u2014 as well as the timing.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese measures will benefit not only the people crossing the border but also the businesses and those driving through Tijuana who aren\u2019t necessarily heading to San Diego,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\"AA pilot program will provide two access points for SENTRI and Global Entry travelers at the San Ysidro Port of Entry to ease congestion in Tijuana. (Alejandro Tamayo \/ The San Diego Union-Tribune)<\/p>\n

The new route through Avenida Segunda will be more convenient for drivers coming from Playas de Tijuana, Rosarito and Ensenada, he said. It will also be an option for people living in other Tijuana neighborhoods.<\/p>\n

He noted that these changes come just ahead of the typically busy holiday season, when people cross the border to shop or visit friends and family.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s an excellent move,\u201d he said. \u201cLet\u2019s hope it works out well.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Travelers enrolled in SENTRI and Global Entry who cross the U.S.-Mexico border through the San Ysidro Port of…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":346258,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5134],"tags":[5229,42364,55354,1582,276,1370,728,50,3549,3550,39664,7264,34159,55993,7289,522,67,586,132,5230,68,2969],"class_list":{"0":"post-346257","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-san-diego","8":"tag-america","9":"tag-baja-california","10":"tag-border-baja-california","11":"tag-ca","12":"tag-california","13":"tag-latest-headlines","14":"tag-local-news","15":"tag-news","16":"tag-san-diego","17":"tag-san-diego-county","18":"tag-san-ysidro","19":"tag-sandiego","20":"tag-south-county","21":"tag-tijuana","22":"tag-top-stories-sdut","23":"tag-transportation","24":"tag-united-states","25":"tag-united-states-of-america","26":"tag-unitedstates","27":"tag-unitedstatesofamerica","28":"tag-us","29":"tag-usa"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115470450973636007","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/346257","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=346257"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/346257\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/346258"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=346257"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=346257"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=346257"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}