TIJUANA, Mexico — The PedWest pedestrian border crossing, which has been closed for almost three years, will reopen Jan. 9 from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m., U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced.
“In an effort to provide additional crossing flexibility and service to our binational communities, we are working to restore our services to pre-pandemic status,” Mariza Marin, San Ysidro Port of Entry director, said in a news release.
“We will continue to effectively manage wait times to enhance the border crossing experience for travelers that enter through the San Ysidro Port of Entry.”
A CBP spokesperson said the new schedule will be temporary, adding that “we will be assessing our resources as the week progresses and get a better gauge from an operational standpoint.” Before its closure in April 2020, PedWest operated 24 hours a day.
Mexican authorities said that they are coordinating the logistics for the reopening on their side and will announce details soon.
The border community praised the long-awaited news. Gustavo de la Fuente, a board member of the Smart Border Coalition, called it “a very positive sign to start the year” and credited Marin, who began her tenure as San Ysidro Port of Entry director in August.
“It speaks to the fact that she has been attentive and has listened to the requests that many organizations like ours have made for months,” De la Fuente said.
“It’s a good sign that CBP wants to improve crossing efficiency; they are listening to the various organizations on both sides of the border, and it’s great news for people who work, study, and go shopping or visit the United States,” he added.
While PedWest remained closed, the only option for pedestrians in San Ysidro was through the PedEast facility, located next to the trolley station on the U.S. side.
Hortencia Reyes, who on Wednesday was walking through San Ysidro carrying two shopping bags on her way to Tijuana, said she hopes that with the reopening of PedWest, the border wait times for pedestrians will decrease.
“(It is more convenient) through the PedWest because we arrive quickly to the plaza (Las Americas), the other way you have to walk more,” she added.
PedWest began operations in July 2016 as part of the $741 million expansion of the San Ysidro Port of Entry to provide another crossing option to the estimated 20,000-plus pedestrians crossing daily at the Tijuana-San Diego border.
Due to the pandemic, PedWest suspended operations until further notice in April 2020, shortly after non-essential traveling restrictions at the U.S.-Mexico land border went into effect. These restrictions were then lifted in November 2021.
While PedWest was closed to the public, a group of migrants set up camp around the border crossing on its Mexican side. Mexican authorities cleared the camp almost a year later in February 2022.
At that time, Tijuana authorities cleaned and re-painted the area, which made it seem like they were gearing up to reopen the pedestrian crossing, however, that did not happen.
In September, Marin, reiterated in an interview with The San Diego Union-Tribune that the intention was to reopen PedWest, although back then it wasn’t possible due to staffing issues.
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