Otay Mesa, Calif. - U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials announced today that they are increasing the hours of operation for the Otay Mesa Ready Lane on Saturdays and Sundays.
Beginning Saturday, May 21, the Ready Lane will now operate from 8 a.m. until midnight on Saturdays and Sundays. Previously, the Ready Lane closed at 10 p.m. on these days.
The hours on Monday through Friday will remain the same: 4 a.m. until 8 p.m.
CBP will also be extending the operational hours for the Ready Lane at Otay Mesa for holidays. Over Memorial Day weekend, the Ready Lane will be open Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, May 28-30, from 8 a.m. until midnight.
"We are keeping the Ready Lane at Otay Mesa open later in response to increased demand, and hope that these shorter wait times will continue to persuade others to go out and get an RFID-enabled travel document," said Chris Maston, director of field operations for CBP in San Diego. "With more travelers using these documents, coupled with traffic optimization at the port of entry, we are ensuring travelers experience significant time savings."
Initial data shows that travelers who use the Ready Lane at Otay Mesa wait, on average, at least 20 minutes less than travelers who are using the general traffic lanes.
Currently, approximately 25 percent of the vehicles that would have used the port of entry's general traffic lanes, instead use the designated Ready Lanes.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of U.S. borders at and between official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.