Tijuana

San Diego Workers Fear More Border Traffic After Tijuana's El Chaparral Bridge Closure

Those who have waited for hours on their way to San Diego pointed out how difficult the journey is every day, even when the bridge is not closed

Telemundo

The El Chaparral bridge in Tijuana will be closed indefinitely due to sustained damage, the Secretariat of Sustainable Urban Mobility of Tijuana is urging drivers to find alternate routes to get to the San Ysidro Port of Entry.

The urban mobility estimates that the Chaparral is used by at least 15,000 vehicles a day, mostly by residents who cross into San Diego for work. Although the closure is necessary, according to the authorities of the municipality of Tijuana, citizens fear this will generate more traffic.

"If it closes, even if it's a while to repair it, it's going to be chaos on this [Tijuana] side," said Ariana Yanez, a traveler at the San Ysidro checkpoint.

Those who have waited for hours on their way to San Diego pointed out how difficult the journey is every day, even when the bridge is not closed.

"All the people want to cross fast, there are going to be people who cut you off, and sometimes there are people who fight," said Ricardo Estrada, a traveler at the San Ysidro checkpoint.

The regional chamber of commerce in San Diego highlighted the importance of these maintaining these structures for the more than $250,000 million that is generated every year in the so-called Cali-Baja region.

"North-to-south, south-to-north mobility is so important already because we have our cross-border workforce that depends on the use of these ports of entry, just as it is to be connected to certain transit areas around the city," said Jimena Villaseñor-Martinez International Business Affairs Coordinator.

The bridge is reported to have an opening of almost 6 inches and represents a risk for those who use it.

For now, two other bridges will continue to operate when crossing from Tijuana to San Diego, the bridge that goes to the area of Playas de Tijuana or Rosarito by the scenic road on the far right and the one on the far left, the one that advances to the river area and downtown.

Although there is no exact number on the number of people who cross every day from San Diego to Tijuana, the secretary of foreign affairs in Mexico reported that 70% of users of the San Ysidro Port of Entry are part of the binational community that crosses the border, in both directions and several times a day.

This story was originally reported by NBC 7's sister station, Telemundo 20. To read the article, click here.

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