NOGALES, Ariz. (KGUN) — In Nogales the DeConcini port of entry is a major piece of the economy of Southern Arizona. Thousands of people pass through there by car and on foot. But the port is really much too small and it has flooding problems and it needs more room for inspections of cars and people. So the government is considering expanding the port. That has major implications for Downtown Nogales.
The current port has eleven lanes to and from Mexico. The expansion plan could bring the total to as many as 22 vehicle lanes with 16 lanes for pedestrians.
Nogales lives off the business and the sales tax visitors pump into downtown.
Nogales Port Authority Chair Josh Rubin sees the expansion as a big boost for downtown commerce.
“This could be the new heartbeat for Nogales. This could, with the approach that the government is trying to take to make this a pedestrian-focused port of entry, meaning that they want more people walking through it, should help the Morley downtown community and just the downtown community thrive back again by having more people crossing here specifically versus the way they they currently do.”
Quicker crossings could boost business across all of Southern Arizona as Mexican shoppers head up I-19 to Tucson or Phoenix.
But the expansion will have to give the port a much bigger footprint downtown. It could use land that holds homes, a few businesses and parking lots.
The Morley Avenue business district would be unaffected.
A Wednesday information session hosted by the US General Services Adminstration was on the project's Environmental Impact Study. It was meant to help people learn more about the project and how it could affect them while its building and after it’s done.
Evan Kory’s family has been doing business on Morley Avenue for 80 years.
He says the project’s footprint is bigger than he expected. He says if the government builds such a big border crossing, he wants to be sure Homeland Security hires enough people to keep those new lanes moving people and traffic.
“It's how it's being operated and managed.”
Reporter Craig Smith asked: “ What do you see as the potential impact on just what it'll mean for the life of downtown?”
Kory: “It has tremendous potential, and will take a lot of organized urban planning within the community so that pedestrians are honored. Because historically, downtown has always been a pedestrian friendly place, and we have to protect that. We have to protect our historic buildings and identity.”
Josh Rubin says there is a long timeline ahead. The environmental assessment could take about a year and a half. And there is still some suspense over getting the Federal Government to put up what could be several billion in construction cost.
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Craig Smith is a reporter for KGUN 9. With more than 40 years of reporting in cities like Tampa, Houston and Austin, Craig has covered more than 40 Space Shuttle launches and covered historic hurricanes like Katrina, Ivan, Andrew and Hugo. Share your story ideas and important issues with Craig by emailing craig.smith@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook and Twitter.
