A new mechanism for transporting cargo at the busy Ysleta-Zaragoza Port of Entry may see construction if all the numbers line up.
The City of El Paso has entered a memorandum of understanding with the City of Juarez to explore the possibility of building a shuttle that will move cargo in both directions across the border between the two cities.
The project has been in the talking stage for the better part of a decade and, according to officials, could take upwards of another decade to be built.
Although there are several entry points from and to Mexico in metro El Paso, the Ysleta-Zaragoza Port of Entry is being looked at because it already serves semi-truck traffic and may have the most space for any new construction.
The next step, allowing City of El Paso staff to study the feasibility of the project, will come after a binational signing ceremony is held to make the memorandum of understanding between the city and Juarez official.
The Ysleta-Zaragoza Port of Entry, at the Ysleta-Zaragoza International Bridge, was opened in 1938. Earlier this year the federal Department of Transportation approved up to $12 million in funding to for pedestrian improvements at the facility.
By Garry Boulard
