General Infrastructure Funding
Otay Mesa Port of Entry Receives $21 Million
San Diego has received $21 million in stimulus funds to modernize Otay Mesa’s Port of Entry, alleviating congestion, and improving productivity and efficiency with the US/Mexico border.
Modernization includes the acquisition of land to expand inspection and vehicle processing space.
Otay Mesa handles the third highest trade volume of any US/Mexico crossing, with 2,000 commercial vehicle crossings daily. The project will improve and reduce the Port’s impact on the environment, modernize security infrastructure, and enhance the overall border crossing experience. It will also provide encouragement and incentive to companies, like high tech and clean tech organizations, to invest in the San Diego Region.
SANDAG and Caltrans have researched the possible benefits of the project, convincing federal entities that the reconstruction is worth federal funding dollars. The modernization project will not only improve commercial crossings, but it will also benefit our families who live on both sides of the border. With the more than 16,000 private vehicle crossings that occur daily at Otay Mesa’s Port of Entry, the Port’s renovation will increase the capacity to access private vehicles across the border.
Along with receiving federal stimulus funds for Otay Mesa’s Port of Entry modernization, we have secured enough funds, $292 million, to complete Phase 1 of the San Ysidro border expansion project. Furthermore, late last year we received a presidential permit and funding from Proposition 1B to begin building a third port of entry, Otay East. Through cooperation between regional, state, and national agencies, we are addressing the problems of long wait times strategically, viewing the three individual crossings as a dynamic system.
Stimulus Funds Will Improve Mission Bay
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has received $10.5 million in stimulus funds for improving San Diego City's Mission Bay. Specifically, the funds will be used to dredge an increasingly shallow channel leading from the Pacific Ocean into the bay and restore the jetty revetment protecting the channel, improving public safety in a critical navigation channel. Due to silt build-up, which has reduced navigable depths and caused dangerous wake conditions, more than 150 vessel accidents have occurred in less than 4 years. The deep water anchorage for private vessels has also diminished in overall size by 33%.
This vessel has been widely used among local businesses and large hotels, but reliability and dependability have greatly diminished due to access problems. Currently, portions of the channel and deep anchorage are just 6 feet, far from a safe traveling depth of 20 feet. Depth has been severely diminished from storm activity and shifting silt along the jetty. Deterioration and collapse of the jetty has caused large rocks to become submerged in relatively shallow water, creating hazardous travel conditions. Furthermore, the collapsed jetty has resulted in a loss of effective navigational aid. The U.S. Coast Guard has been forced to operate navigational aid on a buoy located approximately 1,300 feet from the end of the jetty, as close as safely possible to due to the topography of the ocean floor and wave activity.
The Army Corps' plan to dredge the shallow channel and repair the jetty will provide a safe pathway for vessel traffic. As a result from the repair work, accurate navigational aid will improve, and utilization of the channel for San Diego businesses and hotels will also increase.
If you would like to find out more information on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and how it is implementing its ARRA funds, please visit the USACE's recovery website.
Upcoming Sources of Funds
Community Development Block Grants: (Formula)
CDBG is a block grant program that funds a variety of infrastructure and programs including libraries, park facilities and other public buildings, as well as street and road repairs. The City will receive approximately $3.75 million in additional CDBG funding through the stimulus. The legislation requires that recipients must prioritize use for projects that can award bid-based contracts within 120 days from funding availability. The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), which oversees the CDBG program, must establish requirements to expedite use of funds. Unlike regular CDBG cycles, the legislation specifies that HUD may waive or specify alternative requirements to expedite or facilitate use of the funds. Guidelines are pending
