The Road to Nogales

Highway Congestion
“It’s a priority to improve the highway infrastructure along main roads connecting the Mariposa Port of Entry to Interstate 19,” Dutram explains. “The way traffic flows now, there’s major congestion at the intersection of Interstate 19 and Highway 189. There are designs for a flyover to get trucks onto the interstate without going through stoplights, and state agencies are reviewing options for funding.”

The situation is very complex, however, with a number of agencies and municipalities involved. “This is more than a state matter,” Dutram emphasizes. “This section of State Road 189 is part of a transnational transportation network with national significance, which benefits not just the produce industry but all Arizona commerce. It directly impacts the economies of Pima County, Pinal County, Phoenix, the state as a whole, and by extension the United States.”

Last September Guillermo Valencia, chairman of the Greater Nogales Santa Cruz County Port Authority, testified before the Arizona Transportation Board imploring the board to support a $64-million commitment to the Highway 189 improvement project.

Detention & Delays
To those directly involved moving truckloads of produce from Mexico to the United States through the Mariposa port, there remains a familiar refrain. Tony Garcia, president of truck broker Border Transport, Inc. in Nogales, laments, “Because of delays, we sometimes miss out on revenue. When product doesn’t arrive in a timely manner to the shipper, our trucks are detained, resulting in light loads and money lost.”

Kara Garcia (no relation to Tony), manager at Bonita Truck Brokers, LLC, also finds business in Nogales is hampered by shortened hours. “The past two to three years have really changed how we’re working. Shippers used to be open longer hours, which gave us more leeway,” she says.

“Now they require trucks to be there early in a queue, and the sheds close at 6:30 p.m.,” Garcia explains, adding, “In California, for example, check-in time goes until 10:00 p.m. It’s a six hour drive from El Paso to Nogales and that’s not factoring in inspections along the way. Trucks may not make it in time to be loaded and have to wait until the next day.” On the other hand, there has been some good news, too. “A positive development is that the Nogales port is now open on Sundays, which previously would have been unheard of.”

Still, An Improvement
No one disputes the new port of entry has made traffic flow faster via a safer, more direct route. There are still hiccups in the process, but shippers and receivers are more satisfied with the changes that have been implemented.