Otay Mesa Port of Entry facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Otay Mesa Port of Entry |
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Otay Mesa Border Inspection Station
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| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| Location | 9777 Via De La Amistad, San Diego, California 92154 U.S. |
| Coordinates | 32°33′02″N 116°56′17″W / 32.550602°N 116.938187°W |
| Details | |
| Opened | 1983 |
| Phone | (619) 690-7696 |
| Hours | 24 hours |
| Exit Port | Mesa de Otay |
| Statistics | |
| Annual container volume | 993,048 Containers |
| Passenger traffic | 14,950,766 |
| Individuals (2019) | 14,950,766 |
| Personal Vehicles (2019) | 6,584,442 |
| Pedestrians (2019) | 3,567,271 |
The Otay Mesa Port of Entry (in Spanish: Puerto de Entrada Mesa de Otay) is a key place where people and goods cross the border. It is one of three main crossing points in the San Diego–Tijuana area. This border crossing connects Otay Mesa in San Diego, California, with the Otay Centenario area of Tijuana, Mexico.
Contents
What is the Otay Mesa Border Crossing?
A port of entry is like a special checkpoint at a country's border. It allows people, cars, and trucks to enter or leave a country. The Otay Mesa Port of Entry opened in 1983. It was built to help manage the growing number of trucks crossing the border. Before Otay Mesa, most trucks used the busy San Ysidro Port of Entry. That crossing is about 5 miles (8.3 kilometers) to the west.
Where is it Located?
The Otay Mesa Port of Entry is easy to reach from the U.S. side. You can get there using California State Route 905. For large commercial trucks, Otay Mesa is the main way to cross into Mexico from the Interstate 5 highway. This is because commercial trucks cannot use the San Ysidro crossing.
Why is it Important?
The Otay Mesa Port of Entry is very important for trade. Billions of dollars' worth of goods are imported into the U.S. through this crossing. It is the third busiest commercial border crossing between Mexico and the United States.
Busy Border Traffic
Many people also use this crossing. In 2019, over 14 million people crossed here. More than 6.5 million personal cars and 3.5 million pedestrians also used the Otay Mesa crossing. This shows how much the area around the crossing has grown.
Making Crossings Faster
Border crossings can sometimes have long wait times. To help with this, a new facility is being built on the Mexican side of the border. This new place will have officers from both United States Customs and Border Protection and Mexican customs. It will help to quickly check things like fresh produce. These items are seen as low-risk, so they can be screened faster. A similar system is also being set up at the Laredo International Airport. There, Mexican customs officers will check air shipments before they enter Mexico.
See also
- List of Mexico–United States border crossings
- List of Canada–United States border crossings
- Pacific Highway Border Crossing, a similar commercial crossing point in the north
In Spanish: Garita Internacional de Otay para niños
