The El Paso BOTA Port of Entry, located at the Bridge of the Americas (BOTA), connecting Mexican Federal Highway 45 to the south and Interstate 110 to the north, is El Paso's highest volume border crossing, carrying more than half the vehicles (trucks and passenger cars) entering El Paso, Texas from Mexico.[1] This is due in large part to the fact that BOTA is the only bridge in between Mexico and Texas that does not charge a toll. It is a "Class A" service port with a full range of cargo processing functions, and it is open for passenger vehicle traffic 24/7. It is available from 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM for commercial truck inspections. 6:00 AM to 2:00 PM on weekdays Saturdays.
Construction on the BOTA crossing was completed in 1967 as part of the Chamizal Treaty between the US and Mexico signed in 1963 that involved a land exchange between the two countries. The El Paso property where the US border inspection station at BOTA is located was Mexican land prior to the execution of this treaty.[2]
References
- ^ "Border Crossing Travel Time Study, FINAL Study Report, Volume I: TxDOT El Paso District". RJ RIVERA Associates, Inc. for Texas Department of Transportation, Transportation Planning and Programming Division. Archived from the original on 26 December 2008. Retrieved 22 July 2012.
- ^ Morales, Fred (2002). Cordova Island. El Paso, TX: El Paso/Juarez Historical Museum.