San Luis Port of Entry opens eight lanes in expansion project

San Luis crossers are now using eight new lanes at one of Yuma County’s busiest gateways, a change officials say could eventually trim delays for commuters, shoppers and freight heading back into Arizona. The first phase includes two SENTRI lanes and six lanes for all traffic, with the crossing ultimately set to expand to 16 northbound privately owned vehicle lanes.

The U.S. General Services Administration says the San Luis I Land Port of Entry modernization is designed to improve traffic flow, reduce wait times, increase U.S. Customs and Border Protection processing capacity and strengthen operational security. The project also includes new primary and preprimary vehicle inspection canopies and a secondary vehicle processing area, part of a larger redesign meant to handle a heavy daily stream of border traffic more efficiently.

The change became active Tuesday morning and altered how vehicles return to the United States. Drivers are now being routed through Second Street in San Luis, Mexico before entering through William Brooks Avenue and Urtuzuastegui Street on the U.S. side, a shift that reflects how much construction still remains before the port is fully built out. In March, the City of San Luis said contractor Hensel Phelps would begin work on the southbound vehicular and pedestrian lanes along Main Street and Urtuzuastegui Street on March 24, showing that the project is rolling out in phases rather than all at once.

For residents and businesses on both sides of the border, the stakes are high. CBP says the Area Port of San Luis processes nearly 7.8 million travelers a year, while local reporting has put the annual total at more than 5.5 million crossings. That volume makes even small gains in lane capacity meaningful for people trying to get to work, pick up supplies, make deliveries or bring customers into downtown San Luis.

Mayor Nieves Riedel has called the project historically important and said it should help local businesses and the broader regional economy by letting traffic move better through the port. Still, some border crossers are asking how soon the improvement will be felt in daily life, especially if staffing does not keep pace with the new lanes.

The broader project includes a new 21,000-square-foot pedestrian inspection building that will raise inspection booths from 10 to 14. GSA says the all-electric design will include solar panels and a microgrid with battery storage, allowing the port to operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week, independent of the electric grid. The San Luis I project is one of 26 land ports of entry modernized under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, including six along the southern border, underscoring that this is not just a local construction job but part of a larger federal border overhaul that will shape travel and commerce in Yuma County for years to come.