San Diego –Tijuana Passenger Bridge To Open In December

The pedestrian bridge linking Mexico’s Tijuana International Airport (TIJ) with San Diego is going to be opened on Dec. 9. A 390-foot pedestrian bridge, called the Cross Border Xpress, will likely put an end to the lengthy wait times for more than two million passengers who crisscross the border every year.

TIJ offers more flights to more Mexican cities than any airport in Southern California. The plan surfaced for the first time in 2008, but soon hit a string of roadblocks. Now, San Diego Union Tribune says, the bridge is almost ready.

With a US customs office on its premises, the pedestrian bridge will help air passengers avoid waiting lengthy hours for customs clearance at the border crossings in San Ysidro and Otay Mesa.

Once the bridge becomes operational, airline passengers in the US will be able to park their cars in San Diego and walk across the bridge to board a plane in Tijuana. Likewise, they can walk directly back onto US soil upon their arrival in the Mexican airport.

Only ticketed airline passengers will be able to use the facility. Otay Tijuana Ventures, builder and operator of $120 million facility, say the toll will be $15 for those who purchase tickets ahead of time on the facility’s website and $18 for those who pay on location.

There will also be airline ticket counters, currency exchange facilities, a duty-free area for shoppers, and a restaurant. A range of ground transportation options will be offered at the Otay Mesa facility, including shuttle services to transport passengers to and from the San Diego airport and downtown.

Located in Mesa de Otay, immediately south of the U.S border, Tijuana Airport handled 4,268,800 passengers in 2013. It is the fifth busiest airport in Mexico after Mexico City, Cancun, Guadalajara and Monterrey airports.

The structural scheme is intended to allow greater access to flights out of the Tijuana Airport for both domestic and international air carriers.