Tijuana Cross-border Terminal

Tijuana Cross-border Terminal

Tijuana Airport from 10,000 feet, Brown Field runway in the US, shown bottom centre
location on U.S.–Mexico border
(San Diego–Tijuana)
General information
Type Airport terminal
Location U.S.–Mexico border
Coordinates 32°32′50″N 116°58′31″W / 32.547130°N 116.975375°WCoordinates: 32°32′50″N 116°58′31″W / 32.547130°N 116.975375°W
Construction started June 2014
Completed expected summer 2015
Cost estimated $120 million
Client Bancomext and Invex
Owner Otay Tijuana Venture, LLC
Technical details
Floor area 65,000 sq ft
Design and construction
Architecture firm Legoretta + Legoretta, Stantec
Main contractor Turner Construction, Hazard Construction (San Diego), Grumesa S.A. de C. V. (Mexico)
References
Otay Tijuana Venture[1]

The Tijuana Cross-border Terminal is an airport terminal currently under construction. It is located in San Diego, California, with an access bridge connecting it to the Tijuana International Airport in Tijuana, Mexico. When completed it will be the world's first true binational airport passenger terminal. Unlike the EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg, which is entirely in France although jointly administered with Switzerland, this terminal is physically located in the United States while serving the Tijuana airport. A pedestrian bridge will span the United States–Mexico border, connecting passenger terminals between the two countries. It was the creation of Ralph Nieders, who introduced the concept and infrastructure design in Mexico City and San Diego in 1990.[2][3] The terminal, in the Otay Mesa neighborhood of San Diego, will allow passengers to check in on the U.S. side of the U.S.–Mexico border, cross a 525 feet (160 m) pedestrian/passenger bridge across the border, and catch their flights at the Tijuana International Airport. Passengers arriving in Tijuana will equally be able to cross the pedestrian/passenger bridge into the Otay Mesa passenger terminal, clear U.S. passport controls and U.S. Customs, and exit on the U.S. side.[4]

The terminal building in Otay Mesa will serve only as a check-in and processing facility for departing and arriving passengers. It will have its own parking, check-in stations, and customs offices, but no gates or arrival facilities (thus functionally resembling Hong Kong International Airport's Terminal 2). The structural scheme is intended to allow greater access to flights out of the Tijuana Airport for both domestic and international air carriers.[5]

Construction works have begun on both the Tijuana and San Diego sides as of October 2013, with estimated completion in 2015.[6] The project will cost an estimated 78 million US dollars, funded by Mexican and U.S. private investors and Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico.[4] Building E of Tijuana's Terminal 1 is currently undergoing restructuring, to support the new bridge structure on Mexican soil. The design of Terminal 2 is the work of late Mexican architect Ricardo Legorreta.

History

In 1989, Mexican President Carlos Salinas de Gortari began to implement a massive privatization program to facilitate both the general and regional development of Mexico. Key to that program was the modernization of all transportation networks. Lacking funds and acknowledging the symbiotic relationship between commerce and transportation, "co-investments" were initiated to attract both domestic and foreign capital.

1989: Mexicana de Aviacion proposal

The first airport "co-investment" occurred in Tijuana in 1989. A 10-year concession was issued to Ruber, S.A. de C.V. to develop the commercial areas of the Tijuana airport's two passenger terminals. The Ruber concession was followed by another issued to Constructora Comar, S.A. de C.V to build a multi-level airport parking structure. In 1990, a third concession was issued at the Tijuana airport when an agreement was signed in Hong Kong between Mexico's Minister of Commerce, Jaime Serra Puche, Danbridge, Ltd. and Tijuana businessman Carlos Bustamante Anchondo for the construction of an aircraft maintenance center specializing in Boeing 747s known as Matrix, S.A. de C.V.[7] The Matrix investment was fueled by uncertainty created over the transfer of sovereignty of Hong Kong from British rule to the People’s Republic of China. The Matrix installation was to base and service part of Cathay Pacific’s fleet of 747s.

During this same period a proposal for a cross-border passenger terminal was also made to Mexicana de Aviacion, S.A. de C.V. in Mexico City by Ralph Nieders of Malcolm and Associates. Mexicana presented the concept to Andrés Caso Lombardo, Secretary of the Ministry of Communications and Transportation, (Secretaria de Communicaciones y Transportes– SCT) and Gustavo Patiño Guerrero, Under-Secretary of the SCT. With support in Mexico, contact was made with the San Diego Association of Governments. A property known as Martinez Ranch was identified in San Diego/Otay Mesa (parcel number APN 667-050-07) and land negotiations followed in December 1990. To minimize costs and maximize usage, the Mexicana de Aviacion cross-border proposal was to build a passenger bridge directly to the Tijuana passenger terminal and use the existing roads and undeveloped land on the U.S. side to build a passenger and light cargo terminal. But the Mexicana proposal fell between two competing proposals. The first came from the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG).

1990: San Diego Association of Governments proposal

In December 1990, a San Diego delegation led by the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) traveled to Mexico City and presented a formal proposal to Mexico's Under-Secretary of the SCT Gustavo Patiño Guerrero, to create a binational airport between Tijuana and San Diego.[8] SANDAG prepared and distributed an 8 page booklet titled "TIJUANA-SAN DIEGO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT: A unique opportunity to shape the region's economic future." The booklet contained basic support data and three possible runway alignments between the Tijuana airport and San Diego’s Brown Field Municipal Airport. Two of the runway alignments would have required the complete relocation of Tijuana's existing passenger terminal and runway. On the U.S. side, the SANDAG proposal would also have required the removal of buildings and streets, and the relocation of the main road (Otay Mesa) and a planned freeway (905) feeding the U.S.-Mexico Otay Mesa Port of Entry, (border crossing). Andres Caso Lombardo, Secretary of the SCT had previously opposed the creation of a binational airport with San Diego.[9] The SCT suggested the development of a cross-border terminal but SANDAG considered the concept too limited for San Diego's regional needs. Unable to obtain support from SANDAG, the Mexicana de Aviacion cross-border terminal concept was then presented directly to San Diego Councilman Bob Filner in January 1991. In April, 1991 Councilman Filner suggested the limited use of the Tijuana airport,[10] but without clear support in San Diego, Mexicana de Aviacion decided not to pursue the Tijuana cross-border passenger terminal project.

1991: Aero Charter-Nieders proposal

As Mexicana de Aviacion withdrew, in February 1991, Rodolfo Ramos Ortiz founder of Aero Charter de Mexico, S.A. de C.V. looking at the Tijuana airport’s potential for passenger and cargo operations to Japan and other Pacific destinations, joined Malcolm and Associates efforts in creating a Tijuana cross-border passenger terminal. Rodolfo Ramos had an extensive background in aviation having represented Cubana de Aviacion in Mexico City in the 1950s, route development for Western Airlines in San Diego in the 1960s, and then recruited by John R. Beckett and James'Jim' Harvey of Transamerica Corporation to represent Trans International Airlines (TIA) in Mexico in the 1970s. In the 1960s, TIA pioneered low cost charter passenger flights to Europe and expanded operations into Mexico in the 1970s. In 1973, Rodolfo Ramos created Aero Charter de Mexico and started air charter operations at the Mexico City International Airport. He also provided ground services to major international charter companies such as Martinair and Southern Air. In 1989, he was appointed by Mexico's President Carlos Salinas de Gortari to promote the Toluca International Airport as an alternative cargo/passenger destination to the Mexico City International Airport, and in 1990 secured the Toluca-Tijuana-Tokyo route. Rodolfo Ramos also developed ground support facilities at the Cancun International Airport to attract and service passenger charter operations. During this period, Rodolfo Ramos had met with Freddie Laker, who had pioneered low-fare commercial transatlantic routes and was the founder of Laker Airways, to develop international commercial/charter flights through Mexico. With unused routes and slots (landing rights) at major airports both in Europe and Asia, the Tijuana airport (TIJ) could offer a cost effective alternative to U.S. airports such as LAX (Los Angeles International Airport) and SFO (San Francisco International Airport). To better promote the concept of the Tijuana cross-border passenger terminal, both in Mexico and San Diego, a conceptual rendering was produced showing the full expansion potential of the Tijuana airport and its incorporation with San Diego’s transportation infrastructure. In April, 1991, Rodolfo Ramos and Ralph Nieders met with Ron Roberts, who presented an alternative configuration to the SANDAG "bi-national" proposal and provided Rodolfo Ramos with a conceptual photograph of an alternative Tijuana/San Diego airport.

1991: TwinPorts proposal

The term "TwinPorts" was used to describe the concept and replace the SANDAG descriptor "binational airport." Rodolfo Ramos personally delivered the TwinPorts artist's rendering to President Salinas and scheduled a meeting in Mexico City for a San Diego delegation. On May 1, 1991, Ron Roberts officially announced an alternative to SANDAG's binational airport proposal that came to be known as TwinPorts.[11] On May 29, 1991, President Salinas de Gortari met with a San Diego delegation headed by Mayor Maureen O'Conner in Mexico City and an agreement was reached to create a joint Mexico/San Diego airport study work group.[12] On June 2, 1991, Rodolfo Ramos arrived in San Diego to meet with City officials to help prepare for the joint Mexico-San Diego study group. On route, he was seriously injured in a car accident and the meetings were cancelled.

The TwinPorts concept would have retained the Tijuana airport's existing configuration but did not include a cross-border passenger terminal. Instead it used a cross-border aircraft taxiway which would have allowed aircraft to cross the U.S.-Mexico border to share runways between the two airports and service their respective passenger and cargo terminals, which was similar both in function and operation to SANDAG's binational proposal. The combined Tijuana/San Diego footprint would have created a 4,000 acre (1,600 hectares) airport with a minimum runway separation of 5000 feet (1.5 kilometers) to allow for simultaneous aircraft operations between the two airports. It would have replaced the existing 480 acre (194 hectares) San Diego International Airport (Lindbergh Field).

As with the San Diego airport, the Tijuana International Airport at 940 acres (380 hectares) lacked the space to build parallel runways with a 5000-foot (1.5 kilometer) separation to allow for simultaneous aircraft operations. The Tijuana airport's access roads and terminal configuration also lacked the capacity to move a high volume of departure, arrival and interconnecting passengers to support the next generation of super-jumbo jets being designed at the time (the Boeing 747-400 stretch version and the Airbus A380). The Tijuana airport was further limited by a single 09 ILS (Instrument Landing System) whose approach is directly over the Naval Outlying Landing Field Imperial Beach, a U.S. Naval helicopter training base. Air operations are also impacted by general aviation air traffic from San Diego's Brown Field Municipal Airport on Otay Mesa, which limits the Tijuana airport's runway and 09 ILS capacity as air traffic must be coordinated and shared between three air fields with conflicting missions and aircraft sizes: the U.S. Navy (helicopter training operations), Brown Field (general aviation), and Tijuana (commercial flights).

1991: Aeropuertos y Servicios Auxiliares proposal

As San Diego began to promote its TwinPorts concept, in May, 1991, the Construction and Maintenance Branch (Subdireccion de Construccion y Conservacion) of Mexico’s airport authority Aeropuertos y Servicios Auxiliares (ASA) prepared a 10-page English language booklet titled DEVELOPMENT OF THE AIRPORT– TIJUANA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, B.C. (DESARROLLO DEL AEROPUERT0– AEROPUERTO INTERNACIONAL DE TIJUANA, B.C.). It was followed by a 10-page Resumen Ejecutivo (Executive Summary) dated July 16, 1991 and only submitted in Spanish titled PROPUESTA PARA OFRECER SERVICOS A LA DEMANDA EXECENTE DE LA CD. DE SAN DIEGO (PROPOSAL TO OFFER SERVICES TO THE EXCESS DEMAND OF THE CITY OF SAN DIEGO) which was presented in conjunction with the ASA booklet prepared in May, 1991, to San Diego during the first San Diego-Mexico airport work session in July, 1991.[13] Similar to SANDAG, both the ASA booklet and Executive Summary contained basic information on operations and benefits but in addition, it also showed specific development designs, a projected timeline (PROGRAMA DE TRABAJO) and a cost estimate of $322.4 million U.S. dollars to service San Diego's air capacity needs.

The ASA proposal was based on creating an international passenger terminal totally separate from the existing Tijuana passenger terminal and east of the Matrix aircraft maintenance center. The proposed 387,000sq.ft. (36,000 square meters) Tijuana international terminal would have been linked to San Diego through a bridge/tunnel connected directly to a U.S. 258,000sq.ft (24,000 square meters) terminal and parking facility on Otay Mesa. A 30-page report written by Ralph Nieders for the San Diego Chamber of Commerce titled "Key Issues TwinPort/ASA Proposals"[14] compared both proposals and highlighted issues such as airspace, routes, slots (landing rights), U.S. airline interest and support, and was prepared in anticipation of President Carlos Salina's visit to California which began in San Diego on September 28, 1991. In San Diego, President Salinas did not endorse the Twinports concept and instead announced Mexico would proceed with ASA's $300 million U.S. dollar expansion plan for the Tijuana airport and that private investors would provide $700 million U.S. dollars to build a state of the art Boeing 747 and jumbo aircraft maintenance center to make the Tijuana airport into “one of the most important airports not only in Mexico but in the whole region.”[15]

1991: Aero Charter-Nieders counter-proposal

The 1991 ASA cross-border terminal proposal would have required the relocation of roads and buildings on the U.S. side, and the resolution of an ongoing land dispute between the Mexican government and the Ejido Tampico occupying a portion of the Tijuana airport. The ASA proposal would also have prevented the runway alignment as proposed under San Diego's TwinPorts airport plan. The separation between the domestic and international terminals under the ASA proposal was 1.4 miles (2.3 kilometers) requiring interconnecting passengers be moved by buses or a people mover between terminals. Aero Charter/Nieders then presented a counter-proposal that would have consolidated both the domestic and international terminals with a cross-border terminal that would have allowed passengers to choose between domestic and international flights. A cargo center would also have been created east of the Matrix aircraft maintenance center and would have tied into the existing infrastructure to efficiently move air cargo through the U.S.-Mexico Otay Mesa commercial crossings. The redesign would have minimized building costs both in Mexico and the United States, and would not have impeded neither ASA's expansion plans nor the development of a San Diego airport in Otay Mesa.

1992: Aeropuertos y Servicios Auxiliares no cross-border proposal

As negotiations between San Diego and Mexico continued but failed to reach a compromise, in March, 1992, ASA released an updated master plan with projected completion dates for the Matrix aircraft maintenance center and the expansion of the Tijuana airport that included two 10,500 foot runways with a separation of 700 feet by November 1992, and an international terminal by 1995, but without a cross-border terminal.[16]

The ASA proposal did not address issues on the shared U.S. airspace and ILS coordination with the U.S. Navy's helicopter training base in Imperial Beach and San Diego's Brown Field in Otay Mesa, nor changes in aircraft design and size requiring high capacity passenger terminals, wider taxiways, and reinforced runways to service wide bodied and jumbo jets, and larger runway separations to safely support simultaneous operations of dissimilar sized aircraft (wake turbulence/wake vortex separation). While a FAA-funded study on TwinPorts found the joint airport concept viable,[17] opposition to TwinPorts continued to grow both in Mexico [18] and San Diego.[19] During this time, Britain and the People’s Republic of China came to an agreement over the new Hong Kong International Airport at Chek Lap Kok. As China agreed to recognize private investment rights acquired during Hong Kong's British rule, Cathay Pacific agreed to establish its hub and maintenance base at Chek Lap Kok, undermining the Matrix aircraft maintenance center and ASA’s development plans for converting the Tijuana airport into a major regional and airline hub airport. The Hong Kong International Airport at Chek Lap Kok was designed with two 12,500 foot runways (3.8 kilometers) separated by 5000 feet (1.5 kilometers) to allow for simultaneous aircraft operations on 1,255 hectares (3,100 acres).

1992: Valenzuela phased TwinPorts development plan

Rodolfo Ramos failed to recover from his injuries suffered from a car accident in San Diego in June, 1991. Unable to continue with the project, in April, 1992, Rodolfo Ramos met with Gilberto Valenzuela Esquerro, former Secretary of the Ministry of Public Works (Secretaria de Obras Publicas: SOP), who under Mexico's President Gustavo Díaz Ordaz (1964–1970) had been in charge of modernizing Mexico's airports and transportation system and in 1965 had proposed creating a joint Mexico-San Diego airport. As negotiations between San Diego and Mexico came to a standstill, Gilberto Valenzuela attempted to mediate the differences between the SCT/ASA and San Diego. As ASA's updated 1992 development plan for the Tijuana airport removed both the cross-border terminal option and was counter to a joint Tijuana-San Diego airport, in June 1992, Valenzuela-Nieders prepared an eighty-page report and presented a modified/phased development of San Diego's TwinPorts option. On June 29, 1992, Rodolfo Ramos Ortiz passed away in Mexico City.

The Valenzuela phased TwinPorts design was derived from the Munich Airport that began operations in May 1992. The Munich Airport's foot print of 1580 hectares (3900 acres) was similar to the proposed Tijuana/San Diego TwinPorts proposal but unlike to original TwinPorts proposal that showed parallel runways and separate Tijuana/San Diego passenger terminals, the modified Valenzuela phased TwinPorts proposal used a staggered two runway configuration and connected both the Tijuana and San Diego passenger terminals. With a cross-border terminal, Tijuana and San Diego passengers would have been able to easily connect between Mexican and U.S. domestic and international destinations/flights, which in effect would have created a regional hub airport between Mexican, U.S., and international airlines. Coupled with Mexico's underutilized international and corresponding routes and time slots, the initial stage would have attracted co-investments and concessions to the Tijuana airport by foreign airlines and companies seeking to develop Pacific and U.S. West Coast destinations, and provide services to support commercial, charter and cargo operations. The construction of a 12,000-foot runway on the San Diego side separated by 5280 feet from Tijuana's runways would also have allowed for simultaneous operations between the two airports while the cross-border aircraft taxiway would have given Tijuana access to a 12,000-foot reinforced runway capable of handling fully loaded super jumbo jets weighing over 600 tons. But opposition both in Mexico and San Diego continued to rise.

1993: TwinPorts cancellation

In March 1993, as tensions and doubts emerged over the passage of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)[20] and Mexico’s co-investment/concession program failed to attract the required capital to modernize the country’s transportation infrastructure including ASA’s proposed $300 million expansion of the Tijuana airport, both Andres Caso Lombardo, Secretary of the SCT, and Jose Andres de Oteyza, director of ASA, resigned. The $700 million Matrix aircraft maintenance center at the Tijuana airport also failed to attract contracts and commitments from airline carriers. Without funding, ASA was unable to expand the Tijuana airport's passenger terminal and build a 10,500 foot second runway. Mexican President Carlos Salinas de Gortari then appointed Emilio Gamboa Patron as Secretary of the SCT and Luis Martinez Villacaña became the new director of ASA.

In April 1993, Gilberto Valenzuela and Ralph Nieders met with Luis Martinez Villacaña, who indicated support for a joint Tijuana-San Diego airport. Deputy Mayor and San Diego Councilman Tom Behr was then invited to Mexico City to make a formal proposal. Negotiations were re-initiated but in June 1993 Luis Martinez Villacaña resigned due to illness and Guillermo Ruiz de Tereza became the new director of ASA. During the interim, strong opposition had emerged to the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)[21] and undocumented/illegal immigration had become a major issue. In California Governor Pete Wilson had asked Mexico to deploy its army to stem the follow of undocumented/illegal immigration while Senator Barbara Boxer asked that the National Guard be used to support U.S. Border Patrol agents.[22] In September, tensions between the U.S. and Mexico rose further when James Jones was appointed U.S. ambassador to Mexico.[23] All of which impacted airport negotiations between Mexico and San Diego.

In October 1993, a San Diego delegation headed by Mayor Susan Golding arrived in Mexico City to attempt an airport agreement between San Diego and Mexico. Negotiations failed as Guillermo Ruiz de Tereza, the director for ASA, rejected the Twinports concept and then set a precondition that Mexico would reconsider resuming negotiations if all of San Diego's air passenger traffic was diverted to the Tijuana airport. In effect, Mexico required the closure of San Diego's international airport and that all San Diego commercial passenger flights land and depart from the Tijuana airport, which would have required San Diego and U.S. airlines to fund the full expansion of the Tijuana airport and force U.S. domestic flights servicing San Diego to originate out of Mexico. The San Diego delegation "stunned," rejected Mexico's offer and the TwinPorts airport project was cancelled.[24] A recession during that same period also caused the collapsed of land values in San Diego and the selected site for the Aero Charter cross-border terminal on the U.S. side was foreclosed.

1994-1996: Mexico's Airport Privatization Program

In 1994, Ernesto Zedillo Ponce was elected President of Mexico. In order to modernize Mexico’s air transportation system, in 1995 the Zedillo Administration initiated Mexico's airport privatization program headed by Dr. Aaron Dychter Poltolarek, who was appointed as Under-Secretary of the SCT (Ministry of Communications and Transportation). On December 22, 1995, the SCT published the "Ley de Aeropuertos," (Airport Laws) which allowed for the privatization of Mexico's entire airport network. As the majority of Mexico's regional airports were marginally profitable and operating below a million annual passengers (MAP), to make the airport privatization program attractive to foreign investors, four airport concessions were created: Southeast Airport Group (Grupo Aeroportuario del Sureste) consisting of 9 airports with 9.7 MAP and headquartered in Cancun, Pacific Airport Group (Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacifico) consisting of 12 airports with 15 MAP and headquartered in Guadalajara, Central-North Airport Group (Grupo Aeroportuario Centro Norte) consisting of 13 airports with 9 MAP and headquartered in Monterrey, and the Mexico City Airport Group (Grupo Aeroportuario de la Cuidad de Mexico), single airport with 19 MAP and headquartered in Mexico City.

Airport privatization began to take momentum in the late 1980s when the British government divested the British Airport Authority (BAA now known as Heathrow Airport Holdings) in 1987. BAA operated 7 airports including London Heathrow Airport. In the United States there was an equal movement towards privatization and two major operators emerged, Lockheed Air Terminal and Johnson Controls World Services (formerly Pan Am World Services). In 1994, there were privatization projects in more than 50 countries.[25] During this period, Gilbert Ratto, Director General of Ruber S.A. de C.V., which operated the commercial areas of the passenger terminals at the Tijuana airport, and Ralph Nieders met with BAA, Lockheed Air Terminal, and Johnson Controls World Services to determine their interest in the development of a cross-border passenger terminal. Lockheed Air terminal had focused its resources on projects in the former Soviet republics as well as other overseas markets from Australia to Turkey. [26] BAA had looked at the Mexican market but opted for other projects. While Johnson Controls World Services initially considered developing the Tijuana cross-border passenger terminal and was actively looking into Mexico's airport privatization process with Grupo GUTSA S.A. de C.V., in September 1996 they also opted not to pursue the project and focus their efforts and resources within the U.S. market. Uncertainty over the Tijuana cross-border terminal carried over into the privatization process as Mexico's airport authority ASA had removed it from Tijuana's airport development plan in 1992, and the SCT did not include it as part of their proposed airport privatization program for the Pacific Airport Group.

In February 1996, the former Mexican Secretary of the SOP (Ministry of Public Works) Gilberto Valenzuela Esquerro and Ralph Nieders met with Dr. Aaron Dychter, Under-Secretary of the SCT, and Alfredo Elias Ayub, the director of ASA, to re-initiate the concept of a cross-border terminal for the Tijuana airport. As the Secretary of the SOP from 1964-1970, Gilberto Valenzuela Esquerro had been in charge of modernizing the Tijuana airport by relocating and building a new runway and passenger terminal. To minimize intrusion into U.S. airspace, Tijuana's runway orientation was changed from 10/28 to 09/27, and to allow for better access and future expansion of the airport, the passenger terminal was also moved. During his tenure as the head of the SOP, Gilberto Valenzuela Esquerro built 20[27] of the 33 airports that were selected for privatization under the administration of President Ernesto Zedillo Ponce (1994–2000).

1996-2000: Casey Development proposal

During Mexico’s airport privatization process, Casey Development in San Diego, headed by Robert Casey, in conjunction with Gilberto Valenzuela Esquerro and Ralph Nieders met with potential investment groups to promote the concept and development of a Tijuana cross-border passenger terminal. In addition, the South County Economic Development Council received a grant to study the concept of a cross-border terminal for the Tijuana airport and generate a report which was co-authored by Steve Castaneda and Ralph Nieders.[28]

In Mexico City, Gilberto Valenzuela arranged meetings with Grupo Mariscal, Grupo Marhnos, Grupo ICA, and Grupo Mina/SACSA. An updated cross-border terminal design was created by Casey Development/Nieders that incorporated the planned 905 freeway and exit ramps proposed by the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans).

In April 1998, Casey Development/Nieders and Grupo SACSA headed by Alfredo Miguel Afif began negotiations for a joint development agreement for the Tijuana cross-border terminal. SACSA operated as a FBO (Fixed-Base Operator) at both the Mexico City International Airport and the Toluca International Airport, and had obtained the concession to build and operate the general aviation terminal at the Los Cabos International Airport in Baja California del Sur. On November 25, 1998, Grupo Mina/SACSA arranged for a San Diego delegation to meet with members of the Mexican Ministry of Interior, Tourism and ASA to discuss the development of a cross-border terminal. The San Diego delegation included Steven Moore, bi-national adviser to Mayor Susan Golding, Deputy Mayor Bryon Wear and Councilman Juan Vargas. Also attending were Gilberto Valenzuela, Robert Casey and Ralph Nieders. Land negotiations for the crossing site had not been concluded. Three potential parcels had been identified: Martinez Ranch (the prior Aero Charter selected 62 acre site), Britannia Commerce Center (22 acre site owned by Frank Goldberg) and Martinez Trust (67 acre site with an IRS lien). News of the delegation's trip was published on November 29, 1998[29] and immediately impacted prices of the three selected sites. Because of cost, both Martinez Ranch and Britannia were dropped from consideration. In December 1998, an acquisition price of $2,349,000 (U.S. dollars) was established on Martinez Trust (San Diego parcel number APN 667-060-02) with a sixty-day escrow in equal partnership between Grupo Mina/SACSA and Casey Development. Grupo Mina/SACSA failed to meet the escrow deposit deadline and another offer was accepted on the selected parcel.

In 1999, a consortium consisting of the Spanish investors Union Fenosa, Dragados and Aeropuertos Españoles y Navegación Aérea (AENA), together with the Mexican strategic investor Grupo Empresarial Ángeles, collectively known as Aeropuertos Mexicanos del Pacifico, S.A. de C.V. (AMP), won the Pacific 12 airport package known as Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacifico (GAP). Grupo Empresarial Angeles was headed by Olegario Vázquez Raña, who took a personal interest in the development of the Tijuana cross-border passenger terminal after meeting with Gilberto Valenzuela and Ralph Nieders. The project was then incorporated as part of the development strategy for the Tijuana airport. Casey Development/Nieders became the project’s consultants for GAP and in January 2000, negotiated with Pema Properties to again secure parcel APN 667-060-02 (Martinez Trust) as the preferred cross-border terminal site with a listed price of $5,000,000 (U.S. dollars).

2000-2001: Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacifico Tijuana Master Plan

In July, 2000, GAP published a 210-page Master Plan for the Tijuana airport (Plan Maestro del Aeropuerto de Tijuana) prepared by AENA (Aeropuertos Españoles y Navegación Aérea). Within the Master Plan a "reserve zone" was designated east of the Matrix aircraft maintenance center for the future development of a cargo terminal. The cross-border passenger terminal was not mentioned within Section 6, Proposed Development or Section 7, Maximum Possible Development, or in any of the supporting maps and plans included in the Master Plan of the Tijuana airport.

In September 2000, the Presidential permit process on the cross-border terminal was initiated by Casey Development/Nieders by submitting a written request to the U.S. Department of State. To further the process, Casey Development/Nieders requested a development outline from the City of San Diego and on October 10, 2000, gave a briefing on the cross-border terminal to the City of San Diego during an airport workshop. On November 6, 2000, the City of San Diego Planning and Development Review Department prepared a "general outline of the planning and development process" for the cross-border terminal which was both faxed and sent by DHL to Ubaldo de Azpiazu del Campo, who at the time was the General Director of GAP and to Casey Development/Nieders. The City of San Diego also adopted Resolution number R-294306 on November 27, 2000 limiting the future airport sites to "North Island, Miramar East and Camp Pendleton and calling for binational cooperation regarding planning for the cross border air terminal." On December 1, 2000, a determination was given by David E. Randolph, Coordinator for U.S.-Mexico Border Affairs for the U.S. Department of State which included an outline of the steps involved in the U.S. Presidential process, but neither AMP nor GAP were willing to secure or commit to any property on the U.S. side of the border, which was a prerequisite to proceed with the Presidential permitting process.

In April 2001, the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) covered the cross-border passenger terminal project and published the conceptual development of the Tijuana airport and cross-border terminal designed by Ralph Nieders in its quarterly journal.[30] To lower building and operating costs, and allow for future expansion, the terminal was based on a modular concept and a translucent roofing membrane similar to that used at the San Diego Convention Center. The white PTFE (Polytetrafluoroethylene) coated roofing membrane, a product of Birdair Inc., New York and fabricated in Tijuana, Mexico, was chosen as it allowed natural light in, was structurally light weight, acoustically neutral and thermally efficient. It was also used at the Denver International Airport.

In May 2001, Ralph Nieders[31] became GAP's cross-border project manager and was assigned to Ernesto Ruffo Appel, Mexico's Presidential Commissioner for North Border Projects (Comision Presidencial Para Asuntos de la Frontera Norte). GAP created a conceptual design and model of the cross-border terminal, and a bilingual information booklet and CD authored by Ralph Nieders containing detailed designs and a narrative of passenger movements, amenities and custom's operations,[32] but a change in both the management of GAP and the Mexican strategic partner at AMP led to a change in development strategies for the Tijuana airport. As the cross-border passenger terminal was not part of the original GAP airport concession and development plan approved by the SCT/ASA, the concession holders were not required to pursue or develop the project. The designated site for the cross-border terminal on the U.S. side was not secured and in August 2001, GAP suspended the project. The Tijuana cross-border terminal project then reverted to ASA. Gilberto Valenzuela and Casey Development/Nieders continued to privately promote the project.[33]

2002-2004: Partnership for Prosperity/Mexico's Presidential Commissioner on Northern Projects

Following 9/11, and seeking to showcase cooperation and development between Mexico and the United States, in January 2002, the U.S. Department of State invited Casey Development/Nieders to present the Tijuana cross-border passenger terminal project before the Bush-Fox presidential commission known as the Partnership for Prosperity.[34] The Tijuana cross-border terminal was selected to be part of the Bush-Fox agenda to be presented at the U.S.-Mexico Presidential Summit held in Monterrey, Mexico, on March 22, 2002, which also included a U.N. International Conference on Financing for Development.[35] Both ASA and GAP were unable to make any commitment towards the cross-border passenger terminal, which was then withdrawn from the Presidential summit's agenda.

In July 2002, Mexico's Presidential Commissioner for Northern Projects, Ernsto Ruffo Appel confirmed that internal management problems and failure by the GAP investment group to meet "the spirit of the concession," made the Tijuana cross-border terminal not "a good business idea." He went further to state that efforts were under way to build a cargo airport approximately 60 miles south of Tijuana, which could also "carry passengers".[36] While continuing to claim support for the development of a cross-border terminal, both the Mexican government and the GAP concession holders failed to meet with San Diego officials or make any financial commitment towards promotional materials, studies or the acquisition of land.[37] In July 2003, Mexico's Presidential Commissioner Ernsto Ruffo Appel resigned and shortly afterwards became a consultant promoting the development of a "mega-port" close to Ensenada, Mexico, and the creation of a transportation corridor that would move "cargo by land, sea and air" between Mexico and the United States through Mexicali, Mexico and Yuma, Arizona.[38]

Gilberto Valenzuela Esquerro and Casey Development/Nieders continued to promote the project privately meeting with U.S. landowners of the potential crossing sites and with Mexico's Under-Secretary of the SCT, Dr. Aaron Dychter and ASA's Director Ernesto Velasco Leon. Casey Development/Nieders also continued to represent the project as a member of the Airport Site Selection Public Working Group before the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority from 2001-2006.[39]

2005-2008: Land Acquisition

In January 2005, Martinez Ranch (the original cross-border terminal site i.e. Mexicana de Aviacion and Aero Charter 1990) was acquired by Britannia Industrial Center, LP. Christopher McKellar, president of Britannia Industrial Center contacted Casey Development/Nieders in February 2005 to determine the potential development of a cross-border terminal. In April 2005, Ernesto Velasco Leon, director of ASA, and Enrique Valle Alvarez, director of the Tijuana airport, were briefed by Ralph Nieders on the renewed interest for a cross-border terminal. In June 2005, Pedro Cerisola y Weber, Mexico's Secertary of the SCT, Dr. Aaron Dychter, Under-Secretary of the SCT, and Rodolfo Salgado, in charge of preparing the IPO (Initial Public Offering) for GAP, were also briefed on the renewed interest and its potential value to the IPO. Jaime de la Rosa, Chairman of AMP, and Carlos del Rio, General Director of GAP were then contacted, and Enrique Valle, director of the Tijuana airport was asked to determine San Diego's interest.

In September 2005, Enrique Valle, as the director of the Tijuana airport, and Ralph Nieders, as the former project manager for the cross-border terminal at GAP, jointly briefed the San Diego Chamber of Commerce. Enrique Valle indicated that GAP was interested in the development of a cross-border terminal but could not commit any resources to the acquisition of land or the construction of the terminal on the U.S. side. Encouraged by GAP's position, Mark Grosvenor, principal partner in the Britannia Industrial Center, LP, continued to hold a portion of the Martinez Ranch for the development of a cross-border terminal. During this time, the San Diego Regional Airport Authority was also studying the development of a "joint-use" airport at the Naval Air Station North Island and the Marine Corps Air Station Miramar to meet San Diego's future air demand. Both options were opposed by base commanders.[40] As opposition against a joint-use airport grew in San Diego, interest in the cross-border terminal was generated.

In November 2005, Malin Burnham, chairman of Burnham Companies, arranged a conference with Thella Bowens, Chief Executive Officer and President of the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority, with the objective of "land-banking" sufficient property to allow for a cross-border terminal. Attending were Christopher McKellar/Mark Grosvenor (Martinez Ranch), Frank Goldberg (Britannia Commerce Center), and Ralph Nieders (member of the Airport Site Selection Public Working Group representing the cross-border terminal). A general consensus failed as the San Diego Airport Authority felt that support for a cross-border terminal option was premature and could negatively impact the airport selection process for developing a joint military/civilian airport at the Marine Corps Air Station Miramar. To keep the cross-border option open, Christopher McKellar/Mark Grosvenor agreed to continue holding two parcels of Martinez Ranch adjacent to the U.S.-Mexico border for the development of a cross-border terminal. In December 2005, a San Diego/Baja California Mission traveled to Mexico City and included the cross-border terminal on their agenda. Adding momentum to the cross-border terminal was a change of the Mexican strategic partners at GAP/AMP. The new strategic partners, Eduardo Sanchez-Navarro Redo and Laura Diez Barroso Azcarraga de Laviada, indicated interest in the development of a cross-border terminal.

In February 2006, interest for the cross-border terminal rose further when the Department of the Navy formally rejected the concept of a joint-use airport with San Diego[41] and the GAP IPO was successfully released in New York.[42] Gilberto Valenzuela Esquerro, a long time friend of both the Sanchez-Navarro and Azcarraga families, contacted Eduardo Sanchez-Navarro Redo and arrangements were made for Christian Checca, son-in-law of Laura Diez Barroso Azcarraga de Laviada, to meet with Ralph Nieders to discuss the development of a cross-border terminal and land options. Meetings then followed with Robert Casey of Casey Development and Christopher McKellar/Mark Grosvenor for Martinez Ranch. Land negotiations stalled and in May 2006, Mark Grosvenor, Malin Burnham and Ralph Nieders flew to Los Cabos, Baja California del Sur to meet directly with the new AMP/GAP strategic partners Eduardo Sanchez-Navarro Redo and Laura Diez Barroso Azcarraga de Laviada. For the Los Cabos meeting, an eighty-page report was prepared and submitted by Casey Development/Nieders outlining the history of the cross-border terminal, the Presidential permit process, the City of San Diego planning and development process, and costs from construction to U.S. Customs.

In June 2006, the AMP/GAP strategic partners failed to make a commitment on the Martinez Ranch. In the 18-month period (January 2005 to June 2006) land values in Otay Mesa rose by almost 40 percent. With rising prices and real estate demand Christopher McKellar/Mark Grosvenor ended negotiations on Martinez Ranch and proceeded with the development of Martinez Ranch Business Park. Direct negotiations between the AMP strategic partners and Frank Goldberg for the Britannia Commerce Center site also failed as Frank Goldberg showed no interest in selling. Casey Development/Nieders then arranged for Christan Checca and Diego Sanchez-Navarro (son of Eduardo Sanchez-Navarro) to meet with James Waring, Deputy Chief Operating Officer of San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders, San Diego Councilman Ben Hueso representing Otay Mesa (cross-border location), and Emil Wohl of Otay Pacific Development LLC, which had acquired the Martinez Trust property (the 1998 Casey Development/SACSA cross-border terminal site, APN 667-060-02). Initial negotiations stalled and site development of the property continued. In November 2006, Chicago based Equity Group Investments (EGI) headed by Sam Zell and who had invested in GAP's IPO, entered as a potential investor for the cross-border terminal. David Contis, representing EGI, was briefed by Christian Checca and Ralph Nieders, and given a tour of the Martinez Trust site and then in conjunction with Enrique Valle, of the Tijuana airport to view the potential crossing site from the Mexico side. In just six months, because of site improvements and market speculation, the listing price had risen by almost 30 percent, placing the project in jeopardy. Land negotiations on parcel APN 667-060-02 (Martinez Trust) followed in 2007 and were concluded in 2008 with an acquisition price of $34.5 million (U.S. dollars). Otay-Tijuana Venture LLC was created between the Mexican strategic partners and Equity Group Investments to build and develop the Tijuana cross-border passenger terminal.[43]

2008: Project Smart Border

In 2008, authorities from both Mexico and the United States launched Project Smart Border 2010,[44] which expressed the intent to build an alternate U.S.-Mexico terminal.[45] Property on the U.S. side of the border was secured for the project in 2008 and on July 15, 2010 a Presidential Permit for the San Diego-Tijuana Airport Cross Border facility was signed by Robert D. Hormats, then Under-Secretary of State for Economic, Energy, and Agricultural Affairs and issued to Otay-Tijuana Venture LLC with an effective date of August 3, 2010.[46] Then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton provided support with an initial groundbreaking which at that time was expected to take place in late 2013.[47][48]

Construction begins

In April 2014, Otay-Tijuana Venture LLC, the developer of the border crossing, agreed to pay for the employees of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection and to build that facility.[49]

Work began on the project in June 2014.[50]

References

  1. ↑ "Otay Tijuana Venture, LLC Announces Unprecedented Border Crossing Between San Diego and the Tijuana International Airport Breaks Ground". Business Wire. 14 July 2014. Retrieved 19 September 2014.
  2. ↑ Millman, Joe (August 1, 2001). "San Diego Airport May Cross Border". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 17 November 2014.
  3. ↑ Hargrove, Dorian (August 7, 2014). "It Hurts". San Diego Readers 43 (32): 2, 3, 36. Retrieved 17 November 2014.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Cross-border airport bridge to link Tijuana with San Diego". San Diego Union Tribune. September 5, 2013.
  5. ↑ "San Diego and Tijuana to Share an Airport". Slate. November 19, 2013.
  6. ↑ "Construction On Airport Terminal Linking Tijuana To San Diego Is Off The Ground". KPBS. October 8, 2013.
  7. ↑ Kraul, Chris (November 20, 1990). "Huge Plane Repair Plant Planned for Tijuana". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 19 September 2014.
  8. ↑ Darling, Juanita (December 8, 1990). "Mexico Agrees to Talk About Binational Airport". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 8, 1990.
  9. ↑ Reza, H. G. (August 24, 1990). "Port Board Leader Opposed to Plan to Expand Lindbergh: Portwood's comments come as it is disclosed that Mexican official is opposed to creating a binational airport at Otay Mesa". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 24, 1990.
  10. ↑ Beel, Susan (April 1, 1991). "Filner revives call for limited use of Tijuana's airport". San Diego Business Journal.
  11. ↑ Horstman, Barry (May 2, 1991). "Roberts Outlines 'TwinPorts' Plan for New Airport". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 2, 1991.
  12. ↑ Cleeland, Nancy (May 30, 1991). "TwinPorts plan gets lift from Mexico". San Diego Union-Tribube.
  13. ↑ Richmond, Michael (July 18, 1991). "Work starts on details of TwinPorts officials of Mexico and U.S. set up panels". San Diego Union-Tribune.
  14. ↑ Nieders, Ralph (September 5, 1991). Key Issues TwinPort/ASA Proposals (Copyright TX 489 448 ed.). Ralph Nieders.
  15. ↑ Golden, Arthur; Linquist, Diane (September 29, 1991). "Salinas murky on TwinPorts- Declares $1 billion Tijuana Airport Will Proceed". San Diego Union-Tribune.
  16. ↑ Tamaki, Julie (March 26, 1992). "Tijuana Has Airport Plans of Its Own". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 26, 1992.
  17. ↑ Jahn, Ed (May 9, 1992). "New signals favor airport at border". San Diego Union-Tribune.
  18. ↑ Romero, Fernando (May 17, 1992). "TwinPorts push irks Mexicans". San Diego Union-Tribune.
  19. ↑ Moran, Greg (July 25, 1992). "Nader, critic of TwinPorts, to push for new panel". San Diego Union-Tribune.
  20. ↑ Walker, Lynne (March 18, 1993). "NAFTA's on track, U.S. says to Mexico". San Diego Union-Tribune.
  21. ↑ Lewis, Finlay (April 27, 1993). "Panetta glum on NAFTA, economy, says votes lacking for free-trade pact". San Diego Union-Tribune.
  22. ↑ Granberry, Michael (August 18, 1993). "Reno Gets a Firsthand Look at Border". Los Angeles Times.
  23. ↑ Walker, Lynne (September 5, 1993). "Controversy on ambassador to Mexico is pooh-poohed". San Diego Union-Tribune.
  24. ↑ Walker, Lynne (October 2, 1993). "Mexico vetoes TwinPorts stunned city officials to cancel Otay building ban". San Diego Union Tribune.
  25. ↑ Poole, Robert (October 1994). "Guidelines for Airport Privatization". Reason Foundation (Issue 13 How to Guide).
  26. ↑ Leovy, Jill (May 31, 1994). "Lockheed Looks to Expand Its Airport Business : Aviation: Opportunities outside the U.S. are increasing as more countries improve and, in some cases, privatize facilities.". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 3 April 2015.
  27. ↑ Lopez, Fermin (September 30, 1970). Secretaria de Obras Publicas- Memoria de labores 1964–1979. Mexico City, Mexico: Compania Impressora y Lito Grafica Juventud, S.A. de C.V. pp. 186–215.
  28. ↑ Steve Casteneda-Ralph Nieders, co-authors (October 20, 1998). Crossborder Air Passenger Terminal Facility Phase 1 Report October, 1998. South County Economic Development Council. Retrieved October 20, 1998.
  29. ↑ Millican, Anthony (November 29, 1998). "Tijuana terminal at border proposed". San Diego Union-Tribune.
  30. ↑ Berthelsen, Gene (April–June 2001). "THE CROSS-BORDER AIR TERMINAL A Promising International Gateway". California Department of Transportation Journal 1 (4): 42–45.
  31. ↑ Hicks, David (March 16, 2001). "Regional Commission Reaches Out to South Bay". San Diego, The Daily Transcript. Retrieved 2 September 2014.
  32. ↑ Orozco, Salvador (April 25, 2001). San Diego-Tijuana Cross-Border Terminal. Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico: Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacifico. pp. 1–22.
  33. ↑ Millman, Joel (August 1, 2001). "San Diego's Gateway to the World May Be Tijuana". Wall Street Journal.
  34. ↑ Joint Statement by President George Bush and President Vicente Fox Towards a Partnership for Prosperity: the Guanajuato Proposal. Office of the Federal Register, National Archives and Records Administration. February 16, 2001. pp. 304–305. Retrieved 8 November 2014.
  35. ↑ De Young, Karen (March 23, 2002). "Bush Urges Nations To Use Aid as Tool Against Corruption". The Washington Post.
  36. ↑ Lindquist, Diane (July 23, 2002). "Otay airport terminal plan called 'dead' Consultant: Mexico not cooperative, wants U.S. investors to fund it all". San Diego Union-Tribune.
  37. ↑ Lindquist, Diane (September 2, 2002). "Report s on Tijuana airport progress are cloudy, Is cross-border project at Otay Mesa on or off?". San Diego Union Tribune. Retrieved 17 March 2015.
  38. ↑ Lindquist, Diane (December 7, 2004). "Mega-port possibilities seen Baja, Study includes rail link to Arizona". San Diego Union Tribune. Retrieved 17 March 2015.
  39. ↑ "Airport Site Selection Public Working Group". http://www.san.org/documents/boardmeetings/pwg_minutes_82603.pdf''. San Diego County Regional Airport Authority.
  40. ↑ Ristine, Jeff (November 15, 2005). "Airport panel has 2 bases in its sight". San Diego Union Tribune. Retrieved 5 November 2014.
  41. ↑ Ristine, Jeff (February 25, 2006). "Navy Boss Say No to Civilian Base Use". San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved 4 November 2014.
  42. ↑ Lindquist, Diane (February 28, 2006). "Airport IPO Takes Off for Mexico". San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved 4 November 2014.
  43. ↑ "Otay Tijuana Venture, LLC Announces Unprecedented Border Crossing Between San Diego and the Tijuana International Airport Breaks Ground", Business WIre, 14 July 2014
  44. ↑ (Spanish) Lanzan México y EU iniciativa binacional, from El Financiero
  45. ↑ (Spanish) Quieren en Tijuana terminal binacional, from Excelsior
  46. ↑ Department of State (August 10, 2010). "Presidential Permit- Authorization for Construction, Operation, andMaintenance of San DiegoTijuana Airport Cross Border Facility". The Daily Journal of the United States Government 75 (153): Public Notice 7115. Retrieved 4 September 2014.
  47. ↑ "Plans Take Off for Tijuana Airport Border Project". U-T San Diego. July 26, 2013.
  48. ↑ "La Plaza". Los Angeles Times. August 5, 2010.
  49. ↑ Dibble, Sandra. "Cross-border airport plan clears hurdle." San Diego Union-Tribune. April 17, 2014. Retrieved on April 19, 2014.
  50. ↑ "Construction underway on cross-border airport terminal". San Diego 6. 9 June 2014. Retrieved 19 September 2014.