STATE OF CALIFORNIA - BUSINESS, TRANSPORTATION AND HOUSING AGENCY

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
District 11, P.O. Box 85406, San Diego, CA 92186-5406
FACT SHEET

NAFTA NET

March 1998



OVERALL GOALS NAFTA BACKGROUND Trade across the border is increasing significantly with the General Agreement on Trade and Tariffs (GATT) and the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). After assessing the state transportation corridors leading to the major border crossings Caltrans has determined they are inadequate to meet the demand of today and the future.

THE NET The NET is a transportation network which links the ports of entry and border regions to the existing transportation system. Caltrans has identified the transportation corridors in San Diego, Imperial and Riverside Counties which comprise the NET.

These corridors will be the principal conduit for movement of goods and people as overall demand for transportation increases in and out of the state.

SAN DIEGO COUNTY: The major NAFTA related transportation corridors in San Diego County are as follows: State Route 905 is a partially constructed 12-mile east/west highway. The segment from I-5 and I-805 is a four-lane freeway with a temporary connection to Otay Mesa Road. Otay Mesa Road is currently a four-lane city street which connects SR-905 to the existing Otay Mesa POE. Otay Mesa POE is the major commercial crossing for San Diego County.

State Route 125 is an unconstructed north/south route. SR-125 connects to SR-905 near the Otay Mesa POE and traverses the cities of San Diego, Chula Vista, La Mesa, El Cajon, Santee, Poway, and the incorporated communities of Bonita and Spring Valley. The only existing portion of SR-125 is in La Mesa, beginning at the east junction of SR-94 and ending at I-8. The southern segment of SR-125 is a privatization project that will provide a direct north/south connection from SR-905 and the Otay Mesa border crossing to SR-54.

State Route 188 serves the Tecate POE it is a 1.9 mile north/south route that connects to SR-94. Both routes are a two-lane conventional highway over mountainous terrain.

State Route 94 is a east/west alignment from I-5 to I-8. SR-94 from I-5 is freeway with freeway to freeway connectors at SR-125 and SR-54. Route 94 turns into an expressway at Sweetwater Spring Road and ending at Jamacha Boulevard. SR-94 then becomes a two-lane conventional highway over mountainous terrain ending at I-8.

The San Diego and Imperial Valley Railroad (SD & IV) runs south from National City to Tijuana, eastward to Tecate, Mexico and back across the border to Campo and Jacumba. The eastern section that continues on to Plaster City was removed from service in 1983 when fires destroyed two wooden trestles in Carrizo Gorge.

IMPERIAL COUNTY: The major north/south transportation corridor in Imperial County will be State Route 7 (SR-7) to State Route 98 (SR-98) and Interstate 8 over to State Route 111 (SR-111) and north to State Route 78 (SR-78) and onto State Route 86 (SR-86) into Riverside County.

SR-7 is a proposed four-lane conventional highway which will serve the new Port of Entry (POE) located six miles east of Calexico. The first segment of this project is now completed which terminates at SR-98. This segment is expected to open in fall 1996 upon completion of the Mexican Federal POE.

SR-98 is a two-lane east/west conventional highway which parallels the border connecting SR-7 to SR-111. A project to rehabilitate the pavement and add paved shoulders has recently been completed from Cole Road to Bonds Corner.

SR-111 serves the existing Calexico POE and is a major north/south intercity and interregional connector. Currently it is a four-lane expressway up to I-8 and continues as a two-lane conventional highway connecting with SR-78 in Brawley.

SR-86 is a north/south two-lane conventional highway which is being upgraded to a four-lane divided expressway from SR-111 to I-10. Several segments are already completed or under construction. The remaining sections are currently programmed for completion inthe next few years.
San Diego and Imperial Valley Railroad (SD & IV) connects San Diego County to the Southern Pacific line in El Centro. As mentioned above, the SD & IV rail is not operational today. Southern Pacific (SP) Railroad is the primary rail freight operator in the Imperial Valley the Calexico Branch of SP's service runs northward from the border and onto its main line connection at Niland and then into Riverside County. In Calexico, northwest of the POE, rail cars are interchanged while the U.S. Customs inspections are performed. Southbound cars are inspected by Mexican Customs in Mexicali and then continue (under management of Ferrocarriles Nacionales de Mexico (FNM), Mexico's rail service provider) to Mexico's interior.

Since 1988, the number of northbound railcar shipments crossing the California border has significantly decreased, according to United States General Accounting Office (USGAO) reports. The shortage of inspection staffing at ports and lengthy processing procedures have been identified as the sources of the decrease. THE NAFTA NET With no special federal funding to mitigate NAFTA impacts to the transportation infrastructure, California must consider redirecting limited state and federal transportation funding from previously identified projects around the state. Caltrans has identified specific projects on the "Nafta NET" which will better position the State of California to take advantage of the economic opportunities with NAFTA and GATT. Several of these projects are already under construction or programmed. Some have been identified as projects of statewide significance and are included in the 1996 Proposed State Transportation Improvement Plan (PSTIP). Still others are included as mid-term and long-term needs. The following key maps and charts summarize these projects including approximate costs and schedules.

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