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TUCSON Senator Kyrsten Sinema said Tuesday that One of her top priorities is to secure additional funding for the further expansion of the San Luis I port of entry.
Sinema, D-Ariz., Said the San Luis port of entry saw the smallest drop in border travel last year during the COVID-19 pandemic, with large numbers of key workers entering the United States on a daily basis.
“San Luis has carried a heavy burden even during this period,” she said.
On Monday, Sinema visited the port of San Luis I, the westernmost port in Arizona, where she met with leaders from U.S. Customs and Border Protection and talked about how the Senate-passed bipartisan infrastructure bill that she was negotiating supported the expansion project could.
The Port of San Luis is renovating its facilities to reduce waiting times for pedestrians and cross-border travelers, including expanding the lanes for private vehicles, inspection canopies, warehouses, pedestrian and administrative facilities. Phase I of the expansion project has received $ 152.4 million, but Phase 2 is still in need of funding.
Sinema said when it comes to investing in Arizona ports of entry, Your number one priority is San Luis.
“My first priority is to help San Luis get the second cash pot for Phase 2,” she said. There is almost $ 115 million outstanding.
The Nogales port of entry has nearly the same number of passengers using private vehicles as San Luis, but the percentage of travelers it handles has decreasedmore thanin San Luis show data from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics.
Sinema’s bipartisan infrastructure legislation would provide US $ 3.4 billion for “construction, acquisition, repairs and changes to border stations and land entry ports.”
Sinema did not provide expected funding for other ports of entry in Arizona, but said each had unique needs and would receive money to match.
“The state of overcrowding or the flow our ports of entry face will be a big factor in how much dollars they get,” Sinema said.
The $ 1.2 trillion package that Sinema helped build would represent a historic investment in infrastructure, with $ 550 billion in new spending.
“The good news about this law is that there are enough resources for us to do what needs to be done. We have the dollars we need, ”Sinema said on Tuesday in Tucson during a panel discussion on the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
At the meeting, held at Tucson International Airport, Sinema said the legislation will improve access to water and chemical purification, more modern drainage systems, resources to fight and restore forest fires, improve roads and transport for the underserved Areas concern.
“It’s a really exciting time. And I look forward to the president signing this law so we can start actually making a difference in our communities across the state on October 1st, ”she said.
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