Expansion and modernization and of the Calexico West Land Port of Entry in California is approaching its final phase as the U.S. General Services Administration selected Hensel Phelps Construction Co. for a $173.6-million design-build contract. GSA is using $3.4 billion from 2021’s Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act for 26 U.S. port of entry upgrade projects along the borders with Mexico and Canada.

The Calexico West border station is one of the busiest ports of entry between the U.S. and Mexico, according to GSA. The land port processes about 20,000 northbound vehicles and 12,500 northbound pedestrians daily. The 17.8-acre facility, which dates to 1974, is not large enough to accommodate its traffic volume, leading to long wait times. Also, it no longer meets U.S. Customs and Border Protection security requirements.

Plans for the final phase of work call for a 39,000-sq-ft pedestrian inspection building and six more pedestrian inspection booths, for a total of 12.began  GSA is requiring the use of low embodied-carbon construction materials as part of the Biden administration’s "Buy Clean” initiative. Officials say the material selections will reduce the embodied carbon in the project by 542 metric tons over the use of conventional materials. The building is also planned to use more-efficient heat pumps. 

“By incorporating advanced technologies and sustainable materials, we are ensuring that the Calexico West Land Port of Entry meets the highest standards of safety, comfort and environmental responsibility,” said Sukhee Kang, Pacific Rim regional administration at GSA, in a statement. 

Work is scheduled to start next year and be done in the winter of 2028.

Hensel Phelps was also the general contractor for the project’s first two phases. Construction of the $98-million phase one started in 2015 and was finished in 2018. It included an operations building and passenger-vehicle inspection facilities. The $191-million Phase 2A, which included construction of an administrative building and expansion of inspection areas, began in 2020 and wrapped up earlier this year.

Phase 2 was split into two parts because of available funding. The upcoming work is funded by $122 million from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, plus about $44 million available for projects using low embodied-carbon materials and sustainable technologies.

Also using IIJA funds, GSA recently awarded a $94-million design-build contract to McGough Construction, St. Paul, Minn., for a project replacing buildings at the Dunseith Land Port of Entry in North Dakota. Work there is scheduled to start next May and reach substantial completion by October 2027.