Arizona state officials have met with Mexican leaders in Mexico City for a series of meetings this month designed to strengthen relationships and discuss ways to improve cross-border traffic by supporting enhanced commercial corridors.
The group, which included the Director of ADOT, John Halikowski, had meetings with some of the top leaders in Mexico City, including Senator Ernesto Gandara Camou, who chairs the Senate’s Commerce and Industrial Development Committee, and Manlio Fabio Beltrones, the deputy who leads the coalition of ruling parties in the Chamber of Deputies and is the former Governor of the state of Sonora.
“We extended the level of understanding and cooperation between our two countries. We wanted to meet with the decision makers, those leaders who will be instrumental in helping to advance the cause of cross-border coordination, investment and trade,” Halikowski said. “Forging working relationships with key members of the administration of President Enrique Peña Nieto was one of our key objectives, and I know we accomplished that.”
Mexico is a critical partner with Arizona, with $13.2 billion in bilateral trade occurring annually. That translates to 754,000 commercial trucks and 1,300 trains crossing the border each year – in addition to 15 million cars and 42.4 million people who crossed the border in 2012. As a result, mobility between Arizona and Mexico, as well as security, are critical issues.
Over the past six years, Arizona has invested $450 million in improving border infrastructure, including improvements to support the efficient movement of commercial and non-commercial traffic. Currently, a $225 million project is underway to modernize and expand the Mariposa Port of Entry to speed the processing of commercial traffic between Mexico and the United States. In addition to improvements at the port of entry – which will have 12 vehicle lanes, eight commercial vehicle lanes and facilities for pedestrians – ADOT has invested $20 million in the area’s transportation infrastructure.