LAREDO, Texas –U.S. Customs and Border Protection is reminding the users of the Secure Electronic Network for Travelers Rapid Inspection (SENTRI) lane that the lane has moved to Gateway to the Americas Bridge and the 30-day grace period for the lane at Juarez Lincoln-Bridge will end on May 29. On May 30 all SENTRI and Ready Lane traffic will be processed at Gateway to the Americas Bridge.
“With the forthcoming end of the 30-day grace period on May 29 at Juarez-Lincoln Bridge, CBP strongly encourages SENTRI users if they haven’t already done so to start using the SENTRI lane at Gateway to the Americas Bridge,” said Port Director Albert Flores, Laredo Port of Entry. “On May 30, CBP will no longer process SENTRI traffic at Juarez-Lincoln Bridge so it is imperative that the traffic shift to the new location as quickly as possible.”
lane primary inspection booths at Gateway to
the Americas Bridge.
Due to a shift in traffic in the third construction phase that would adversely impact SENTRI program users, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Office of Field Operations at Laredo Port of Entry announced in late April that the SENTRI Lane has shifted from Juarez-Lincoln Bridge to Gateway to the Americas Bridge effective on April 29 to coincide with the restart of vehicular traffic there. SENTRI users will be able to continue to use the SENTRI lane at Juarez-Lincoln Bridge through May 29, in order to enable a smooth transition to the new location.
As the ongoing infrastructure improvement project at Juarez-Lincoln Bridge enters its third phase, the eastern canopy is slated for demolition and traffic has shifted westward toward the new vehicle processing facility. As a result, the easternmost lanes of the bridge currently used for SENTRI traffic will be at the back of the line of traffic transiting the facility. To mitigate this adverse impact to service for SENTRI participants, CBP, in coordination with Government of Mexico and municipal stakeholder partners has determined the best course of action was to shift the SENTRI traffic flow to the Gateway to the Americas Bridge.
All northbound vehicular traffic crossing at Gateway to the Americas Bridge starting at midnight on April 29 will either need to be enrolled in the SENTRI program to use the SENTRI Lane or all vehicle passengers must possess RFID-enabled entry documents in order to utilize the Ready Lane. These documents include U.S. passport cards and border crossing cards and resident alien cards issued since 2011. Mexico’s Caminos y Puentes Federales (CAPUFE) assures that those already enrolled in SENTRI and who have paid their toll fees will be able to transfer seamlessly to cross at Gateway to the Americas Bridge.
To ensure a smooth transition to the new facility, CBP on April 29 instituted a grace period that permitted SENTRI traffic at Juarez-Lincoln Bridge for 30 days, which ends soon, on May 29. On May 30, all SENTRI traffic will be processed at Gateway to the Americas Bridge.
CBP strongly encourages travelers to obtain RFID-enabled entry documents to use Ready Lanes and enroll in trusted traveler programs. For more information, please visit https://ttp.cbp.dhs.gov/ for complete information about CBP’s Trusted Traveler Programs.