CBP SENTRI Lane to Move to Gateway to the Americas Bridge Effective April 29
Written by Post Public Information Representative, Apr 20, 2018, Comments Off
Courtesy Margie Garza,
Lane to Remain at Juarez-Lincoln Bridge for 30-Day Grace Period
LAREDO, Texas – Due to a shift in traffic in the third construction phase that would adversely impact SENTRI program users, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Office of Field Operations at Laredo Port of Entry is pleased to announce that the Secure Electronic Network for Travelers Rapid Inspection (SENTRI) Lane will shift from Juarez-Lincoln Bridge to Gateway to the Americas Bridge effective April 29 to coincide with the restart of vehicular traffic there. SENTRI users will be able to continue to use the SENTRI lane at Juarez-Lincoln Bridge for 30 more days, through May 29, in order to enable a smooth transition to the new location.
“In order to provide the best service possible to our SENTRI program participants, CBP, in coordination with our Government of Mexico and municipal stakeholder partners, have agreed that when vehicular traffic resumes of April 29 at Gateway to the Americas Bridge, it will be designated for SENTRI and Ready Lane vehicular traffic only, in addition to the pedestrian traffic currently processed at the facility,” said Port Director Albert Flores, Laredo Port of Entry. “The restart of vehicular traffic at Gateway to the Americas Bridge created a unique opportunity to help segment and expedite trusted traveler traffic even further by designating the bridge for the exclusive use of trusted travelers and those with radiofrequency identification (RFID) technology-equipped entry documents.”
When the ongoing infrastructure improvement project at Juarez-Lincoln Bridge enters its third phase, the eastern canopy will be demolished and traffic will be shifted westward toward the new vehicle processing facility. As a result, the easternmost lanes of the bridge currently used for SENTRI traffic will be at the back of the line of traffic transiting the facility. To mitigate this adverse impact to service for SENTRI participants, CBP, in coordination with Government of Mexico and municipal stakeholder partners has determined the best course of action was to shift the SENTRI traffic flow to the Gateway to the Americas Bridge.
When vehicular traffic resumes at Gateway to the Americas Bridge starting at midnight on April 29, all northbound vehicular traffic will have to either be enrolled in the SENTRI program to use the SENTRI Lane or all vehicle passengers must possess RFID-enabled entry documents in order to utilize the Ready Lane. These documents include U.S. passport cards and border crossing cards and resident alien cards issued since 2011. Mexico’s Caminos y Puentes Federales (CAPUFE) assures that those already enrolled in SENTRI and who have paid their toll fees will be able to transfer seamlessly to cross at Gateway to the Americas Bridge.
To ensure a smooth transition to the new facility, CBP will continue to process SENTRI traffic at Juarez-Lincoln Bridge for a 30-day grace period, through May 29. On May 30, all SENTRI traffic will be processed at Gateway to the Americas Bridge.
