DOUGLAS, Ariz. (KGUN) — Leaders and politicians from cities across Arizona met in Douglas on Friday, September 5, to celebrate the ceremonial groundbreaking for the Douglas Commercial Land Port of Entry.
Although construction began on August 4, the ceremony was an opportunity to celebrate the port and the growth it could bring to Douglas.
The $320 million project— managed by the U.S. General Services Administration using money from the Inflation Reduction Act— is the largest investment in Douglas history, according to Mayor Jose Grijalva.
“This is a huge thing for us," He said. "We’re looking for a huge economic boost.”
The 80-acre facility will be home to Customs and Border Protection's commercial inspections, with four northbound lanes dedicated to commercial imports and two southbound lanes for exports.
For deeper inspections, a GSA release says the facility will have 36 covered secondary inspection bays and technology to process hazardous materials.
To Grijalva, that's an upgrade from the current Raúl Castro Port of Entry, just 4.5 miles west of the new port site.
“It’s too congested right now," he said. "Our trucks actually go next to the regular cars. God forbid something happens, we’ll have to shut the whole thing down.”
The construction and operations of the new facility are expected to bring a swarm of jobs to Douglas, as well as add to Arizona's $11.6 billion in imports from Mexico.
But to the leaders and neighbors in the 15,000-person border city, this project is more than just a boom in business.
"Now we’re getting attention," Grijalva said. "It’s exciting. We have the attention of the Federal government, of the state government, of the county, and also of Mexico. With good relationships all around, we’re very blessed in the situation.”
The Douglas Commercial Land Port of Entry is scheduled to open in 2028.
