The airport in Tijuana, Mexico, is literally within walking distance of the U.S.-Mexico border. And cross-country travel is now a bit easier with the Dec. 9 opening of Cross Border Xpress, a 390-foot-long, 33-foot wide skywalk bridge for use by ticketed airline passengers to cross between San Diego and Tijuana Airport.
This is the first project to join a foreign airport terminal with the U.S., according to the Los Angeles Times, which reports that the $120 million private venture expects to serve 2.4 million fliers annually.
The CBX terminal, located on 55 acres between the border crossings at San Ysidro and Otay Mesa on the California side, is open 24 hours a day, and six airlines—Aeromexico, Aeromexico Connect, Interject, VivaAerobus (a no-frills carrier that doesn’t operate in southern California), Volaris, and Aero Califia—provide customer service.
“A project of this magnitude was no small feat and took cooperation from a large number of stakeholders in the United States and Mexico to make it a reality,” says Jim Kilgore, Senior Associate with Latitude 33, the San Diego-based planning and engineering firm that, in association with Otay-Tijuana Venture LLC, provided land entitlements, construction documents, and construction staking services for this project. “Travel, tourism, business and access to both San Diego and Tijuana will be much improved as a result of this facility.”
Otay-Tijuana Venture is a private investment group with U.S. and Mexican shareholders that include PAP Corp., PALAREO Inc., and EGI-Otay Investors. Invex and Banomext were the lenders for this project.
The CBX facility is a collaboration between the Mexico-based architectural firm Legorreta y Legorreta and Stantec. In Mexico, the contractors included Grumesa, Espazio, Corey and Fercon Qualitas. U.S. contractors included The Harrison Company, Hazard Construction, and Turner Construction.
Here’s how CBX works. Passengers flying into Tijuana International Airport pick up their bags and then purchase or print a CBX ticket at the baggage claim area. (Crossings are free through Dec. 18, and then $18 one way for adults, with discounts for seniors and children.) They can skywalk across the border to the terminal in San Diego County, where they can catch a cab, bus, shuttle or Uber to downtown San Diego, 22 miles away, or other destination points. U.S. Customs mans a checkpoint at the bridge for those people entering the country.
Conversely, passengers coming from San Diego can purchase and print CBX and airline tickets at the full-service terminal, and use the skywalk to access the airport in Mexico, which offers flights to 50 cities.
CBX’s backers estimate that U.S. passengers currently account for nearly 60% of that airport’s customers.
“This will be a great new option for travel between the U.S. and Mexico,” Jerry Sanders, president and CEO of the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce, told Fox 5 in San Diego.
The 90,000-sf terminal is the first phase of a 60-acre site that will incorporate two hotel sites, as well as commercial, office, industrial, and shipping facilities over this project’s 10-year buildout.
Related Stories
Airports | Aug 31, 2015
Small and regional airports in a dogfight for survival
Small and regional airports are in a dogfight for survival. Airlines have either cut routes to non-hub markets, or don’t provide enough seating capacity to meet demand.
Airports | Aug 31, 2015
Airports expand rental car facilities to ease vehicular traffic at their terminals
AEC teams have found fertile ground in building or expanding consolidated rental car facilities, which are the No. 1 profit centers for most airports.
Airports | Aug 31, 2015
Experts discuss how airports can manage growth
In February 2015, engineering giant Arup conducted a “salon” in San Francisco on the future of aviation. This report provides an insight into their key findings.
Airports | Jul 28, 2015
Plans to make over New York’s aging LaGuardia Airport are revealed
The complete redesign, devised by a panel of experts, would unify terminals, relieve ground traffic congestion, and install state-of-the-art amenities.
Airports | Jul 22, 2015
MUST SEE: JFK airport taps Gensler to design terminal for animals
Pets can enjoy luxurious spa and grooming services before being transported directly to their flight from the terminal.
Airports | Jul 1, 2015
FIRST LOOK: JetBlue opens sprawling green rooftop at JFK International Airport
The 4,046-sf rooftop includes landscaped green spaces, seating for 50 people, 400-sf children’s play area, and a 400-sf dog-walk area.
Sponsored | Airports | Jun 5, 2015
Exposed glulam framework offers quiet complement to Jackson Hole airport’s mountain backdrop
A three-phase expansion and renovation, which began in 2009, nearly doubled the size of the aviation hub; the only one located in a national park
Airports | Apr 21, 2015
Trends driving airport construction
Upgrades to aviation infrastructure have not kept pace with the increase in airport traffic or even at a level sufficient to accommodate the life cycle of our many dated terminal facilities. Until now.
Airports | Feb 6, 2015
Zaha Hadid-designed terminal in Beijing will be world’s largest
The terminal will accommodate 45 million passengers per year, and will be a hub for both air and rail travel.
| Jan 2, 2015
Construction put in place enjoyed healthy gains in 2014
Construction consultant FMI foresees—with some caveats—continuing growth in the office, lodging, and manufacturing sectors. But funding uncertainties raise red flags in education and healthcare.