The expansion and modernization of the Calexico West Land Port of Entry in California is nearing its final phase as the US General Services Administration selected Hensel Phelps Construction Co. for a $173.6 million design-build contract. GSA is using $3.4 billion of Employment and Infrastructure Investment Act of 2021 for 26 US port of entry upgrade projects on the borders with Mexico and Canada.
The Calexico West border station is one of the busiest ports of entry between the US and Mexico, according to GSA. The land port processes about 20,000 northbound vehicles and 12,500 northbound pedestrians daily. TThe 17.8-hectare facility, which dates back to 1974, is not large enough to accommodate its volume of traffic, resulting in long wait times. Additionally, it no longer meets the security requirements of US Customs and Border Protection.
Plans for the final phase of the work call for a 39,000-square-foot pedestrian inspection building and six more pedestrian inspection booths, for a total of 12. GSA began requiring the use of construction materials with low carbon incorporated as part of the Biden administration. “Buy clean” initiative.. Officials say the material selections will reduce the project’s carbon footprint by 542 metric tons compared to using conventional materials. It is also planned that the building will use more efficient heat pumps.
“By incorporating advanced technologies and sustainable materials, we are ensuring the Calexico West land port of entry meets the highest standards of safety, comfort and environmental responsibility,” said Sukhee Kang, GSA’s Pacific Rim regional administrator, in a communicated
Work is scheduled to begin next year and be completed in the winter of 2028.
Hensel Phelps was also the general contractor for the first two phases of the project. Construction of the $98 million first phase began in 2015 and was completed in 2018. It included an operations building and passenger vehicle inspection facilities. The $191 million Phase 2A, which included construction of an administration building and expansion of inspection areas, began in 2020 and closed earlier this year.
Phase 2 was split into two parts due to available funding. The next work is financed with 122 million dollars from the Infrastructure Investments and Employment Lawin addition to about $44 million available for projects that use low-carbon incorporated materials and sustainable technologies.
Also using IIJA funds, GSA recently awarded a $94 million design-build contract to McGough Construction, St. Paul, Minnesota, for a building replacement project at the Dunseith Land Port of Entry in North Dakota. Construction is scheduled to begin next May and reach substantial completion by October 2027.
