President Barack Obama's decision to include $248 million in his fiscal 2017 budget proposal for an upgrade to Calexico’s West Port of Entry was welcomed Tuesday by the Imperial County Board of Supervisors.
Last year, Congress approved nearly $100 million to expand the border crossing with 10 new northbound lanes. This week’s funds would go toward additional upgrades, including six more northbound lanes.
“That should alleviate a lot of our problems,” county Supervisor John Renison said. “I would predict that our backups would be in the 20- to 30-minute range instead of the two- to three-hour range.”
The decreased congestion could also lead to a drop in air pollution, he said.
“We’re very hopeful, we’re very optimistic,” Renison said.
CORRECTION: The original version of this story had the incorrect budget year and implied Congress had approved the $248 million in funding. The story has been updated with the correct information.
