Construction began Jan. 4 on an interim U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint on Interstate 19 and should be completed in early April, according to the U.S. Border Patrol. But as of yet, there is no timeline for the construction of a permanent facility.
The $1.5 million interim facility will include a third lane for semitrailers, a secondary area for vehicles requiring further inspection and a canopy to cover the entire facility, said Omar Candelaria, a Border Patrol spokesman.
The interim checkpoint – located between the Agua Linda and Chavez Siding exits – will be less than one mile south of the current temporary checkpoint, north of Tubac, he said.
Currently two lanes run north and south along I-19. One lane in the northbound direction was closed for a week when construction first began. Aside from this early closure, there are no plans to close parts of the interstate, except perhaps when the canopy is constructed, Candelaria said.
The contractors are trying to figure out the best way to build the canopy while minimizing the impact on traffic, Candelaria said. If the highway is closed, it will be for an hour or less and will be at times when the highway is least busy.
But this is the worst-case scenario, he said. The contractors have not yet come up with a complete plan for the canopy's construction, and traffic might be deferred to a detour.
Those heading south of Tucson for the Tubac Festival of the Arts from Feb. 10-14 will not encounter construction as it will halt from Feb. 7-17 to accommodate the influx of traffic.
But has construction affected traffic for those who frequently pass through the checkpoint?
Chelsea Robling, a Tucson resident who grew up in Tubac and returns to visit her family, said that since construction has started she hasn't experienced any extra delays.
The current temporary checkpoint gets backed up depending on what time of the day it is, Robling said, an issue that could be alleviated by the interim and then permanent checkpoint.
While Robling said she is in favor of the permanent checkpoint, some Tubac residents don't support the idea.
"I think it's a waste of money," said Jane Lowder, owner of Jane's Attic in Tubac.
Lowder said that she thinks the interstate is not an appropriate place for the checkpoint.
"They should be securing the border at the border," she said.
The I-19 checkpoint is part of the U.S. Border Patrol's Tucson Sector, which runs from the New Mexico state line to the Yuma County line. It's the busiest sector in the nation, according to Candelaria. Between 46 to 48 percent of marijuana seizures occur in the Tucson sector.
Though this sector is the busiest, it is the only one along the Southwest border without permanent checkpoints. The I-19 checkpoint is the first being upgraded to a permanent facility, with this interim checkpoint being a step toward that goal.
A permanent facility is needed to accommodate the anticipated increased traffic as the Mariposa port of entry in Nogales, Ariz., upgrades, Candelaria said.
"If we have more commercial traffic coming north from Mexico and we don't have the appropriate facilities to accommodate the traffic, there will be back up."
The primary reason for upgrading the temporary I-19 checkpoint is to increase safety for Border Patrol agents and the public, he said.
"We believe that it's very likely that if you're a smuggler and you're looking for a place to bring in your stuff and all the other places have permanent checkpoints and the Tucson Sector does not, that's where you're going to enter," Candelaria said. "It's an obvious choice."
