Location: San Diego, California
Developer: Otay Tijuana Ventures LLC
Designer: Stantec Architecture Inc. and Legorreta + Legorreta
Site Size: Approximately 17 acres

Otay-Tijuana Cross Border Xpress (CBX) is an extraordinary privately-funded project transforming travel between the U.S. and Mexico and the border between San Diego and Tijuana. It facilitates an easier border crossing for millions of passengers travelling for leisure and business while significantly reducing the carbon intensity of travel. It is also expected to serve as a major catalyst for economic growth on both sides of the border. The completed project site includes approximately 86,000 sq. ft. of civic space, 154,300 sq. ft. of open space and landscaping, and 523,800 sq. ft. of streets and surface parking.

Significant reductions in GHG emissions area a result of passengers avoiding a long drive and lengthy wait at land crossings. The time it takes to drive across the border is unpredictable, and the traffic and resultant air pollution is considerable. Passengers have to drive about 15 minutes to congested San Ysidro or Otay Mesa Land Ports of Entry, where they wait up to several hours to enter San Diego by car or on foot. CBX is the only U.S. Border Crossing that has a direct physical connection to a foreign airport, offering ticketed airline passengers who pay a toll a less than five-minute walk from Tijuana International Airport (TIJ) to U.S. Customs and Border Protection processing in CBX.

Inter-country travel for leisure and business is a critical economic driver for the entire region with CBX as the major component of this growth. The building contains full-service check-in and ticketing facilities, retail shops, food and beverage facilities, administrative offices and support functions. Parking and circulation for private vehicles, rental cars, buses and shuttles provides the infrastructure needed for more dense land use, including hospitality, commercial and business functions in adjoining undeveloped properties.