$20.2 MILLION FEDERAL RECOVERY GRANT AWARDED FOR INTERCHANGE IN OTAY MESA

October 5, 2010 (Washington, D.C.) – Congressman Bob Filner announced that the Department of Treasury has approved a grant for construction work on the final segment of the I-805/SR-905 interchange near the Otay Mesa Port-of-Entry. Awarded under the TIGER (Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery) program, the grant will pay for the completion of access to the Otay Mesa Port-of-Entry’s intermodal connector.

“This project will help improve the flow of goods between the U.S. and Mexico and the region’s air quality by lessening congestion and truck idling at the border,” said Congressman Filner. “We need to provide the necessary resources to increase the safety and efficiency of one of America’s largest ports-of-entry.”

Construction to the interchange will divert international freight shipping to the SR-905 and away from the heavily congested Otay Mesa Road. When completed in 2014, the interchange near the Otay Mesa Port-of-Entry will improve safety, accommodate more freight shipments, and reduce emissions from commercial trucks waiting in traffic to unload cargo.

The TIGER program, part of the Obama administration's Recovery Act, is designed to promote innovative, multi-modal and multi-jurisdictional transportation projects that provide significant economic and environmental benefits in our communities.