http://worldcat.org/entity/work/id/34536477

U.S.-Mexico border : better planning, coordination needed to handle growing commercial traffic : report to Congressional requesters

Increased commercial truck traffic and the resulting congestion at some border crossings between the United States and Mexico, particularly older crossings that were built in downtown areas such as Laredo and El Paso, Texas, have taxed border community infrastructure. Lines of trucks--many of them empty--waiting to enter the United States can back up for miles during peak periods in the early to late afternoon, and the idling trucks contribute to air pollution and safety concerns in some major border cities. At the same time, crossings in remote and less accessible areas along the border are underused and less congested. Commercial traffic congestion at the U.S.-Mexico border is primarily caused by the high volume of vehicles at ports of entry that must be processed through facilities that have physical and technological limitations and cumbersome practices. Federal, state, and local governments as well as binational groups have responded to this situation with several initiatives. For example, ports of entry and roads leading to the border have been improved, and federal agencies have sought to integrate their inspection processes for commercial traffic and test new technologies for expediting commercial traffic. Likewise, binational mechanisms to encourage dialogue and coordination have been created. However, facilities planning and port of entry operations take place in a complex political and economic environment, so these efforts have been unable to keep pace with the rapid increase in the volume of goods crossing the border or to alleviate congestion.

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