This month, Arizona Governor Doug Ducey showed that he was committed to Arizona’s economic prosperity. Ducey announced that the state would invest $8.9 million into a new port of entry 5 miles west of Douglas. This new port should help improve trade between Arizona and Mexico while keeping emissions away from urban areas.
New Port to Help Old Douglas POE
Currently, there is one port of entry in the Douglas area that serves both personal and commercial traffic. The Raul H. Castro Port of Entry, which was built in 1933, struggles to handle both kinds of traffic. As a result, Arizona officials want to separate the two kinds of traffic. They also want to make sure that less commercial traffic goes through the city of Douglas itself. Removing that traffic from the city would somewhat mitigate the effects of the harmful emissions that commercial trucks give off.
The new port of entry is just 5 miles west of the city, but that location will have significant impacts on the air quality in the city. Now, the estimated 28,000 trucks that go through Castro every year will instead go through the new port. This should not only have a positive impact on Douglas, however; it should also positively impact trade with Mexico.
Ducey Wants to Improve AZ-MX Trade
Governor Ducey is pushing to improve the flow of vehicles, and therefore economic efficiency, with Mexico. It’s all part of a larger economic plan to develop the entire area into an international trade corridor. Along with the new port, the state has earmarked funds to develop the area around the port into a commercial destination.
However, Ducey’s investment pales in comparison to federal investments. Arizona Senator Kyrsten Sinema said recently that the federal government has more than $200 million set aside to improve the old port. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will also pour $237.6 million into the new crossing.
With this combination of federal and state funds, Arizona hopes to modernize its border with Mexico. By increasing the flow of commercial trucks and personal vehicles, the state will improve its economy and set itself up well for the future.
