SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, Ariz. (KGUN) — Arizona Congressman Juan Ciscomani is making another push to fully modernize the DeConcini Port of Entry in Nogales.
Rep. Ciscomani is leading a bipartisan effort through a letter to the Department of Homeland Security and General Services Administration. In a news release, Ciscomani's office says he is joined by two colleagues from Arizona, Congressman Greg Stanton and Abe Hamadeh, and all are "urging swift action to modernize a port that is critical to the nation’s economy and border security."
"This is not a Nogales project," the congressmen writes, "this is a national asset in desperate need of investment." In the letter, they push is to expedite the next phase of the project saying there is a sense of urgency because "delays not only impact border personnel but also disrupt business operations that depend on timely trade and transportation."
RELATED STORY: Port expansion to bring major changes to Nogales
In Nogales, the DeConcini Port of Entry is very much at the heart of downtown. It operates 24/7 with six or seven million people crossing each year but it’s regarded now as too small and too prone to flooding.
KGUN 9 has been following the proposal to expand the Port of Entry, with plans to expand from eight to twenty lanes to allow quicker and easier crossings. The project could cost up to $2 billion but it is too soon to cite a timeline.
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