This report analyzes the feasibility of co-locating federal and state inspections at Texas-Mexico border crossings and assesses the potential benefits in terms of improving the efficiency of carrier-motor-vehicle traffic flow. Findings indicate inspection rates rather than location most significantly impact crossing times.
LPOE
New Report: Free and Secure Trade with Enhanced Reliability (FASTER)
Researcher identified traffic management strategies to improve crossing time reliability at commercial land ports of entry (LPOEs). They also successfully evaluated the strategies using two scenarios–an appointment scenario and a demand spreading scenario–using a microscopic traffic simulation model that the researchers developed for the Ysleta Zaragoza LPOE.
Researchers Test Technologies to Remotely Determine Lane Status at Border Land Ports of Entry
Currently, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) publishes the number of lanes open at the land ports of entry (LPOEs) on their website. This information is updated once every hour in most cases. However, it has been observed that in some cases this information is not updated for several hours, and in other cases, the information has proven unreliable.
Taking Border Performance to the Next Level
In the transportation research business, we use the term “performance measurement” when we measure how a certain aspect of our transportation system is operating. For example, through crash reporting we can tell you with certainty how safe a road is operating, or, through commute times, how well traffic is flowing. Safety and mobility of a roadway are fairly easy to determine. [Read more…] about Taking Border Performance to the Next Level
Reducing the Domino Effect at LPOEs
Travelers at the U.S.-Mexico border are experiencing longer and longer wait times. While NAFTA has proven economically advantageous for both countries—partly by encouraging tourism and trade in border towns—one negative consequence of increased economic activity has been longer lines at land ports of entry (LPOEs). The demand to cross from one country to the other usually exceeds a port’s capacity to efficiently process that traffic. This is particularly true in highly populated, bi-national regions such as El Paso-Ciudad Juarez. [Read more…] about Reducing the Domino Effect at LPOEs