U.S.-Mexico Joint Working Committee (JWC) Meeting Minutes

San Diego, California
May 22 and 23, 2007

For this meeting the delegations were as follows:

U.S. Delegation

Department of Transportation (USDOT) - Fred Eberhart
Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) - Jill Hochman, Roger Petzold, Sylvia Grijalva, Lisa Dye, Michael Avery, Crystal Jones, Frederick Werner, Keith Bishop, Don Martinez
Department of State (DOS) - (WHA-MEX) Robert (Buck) Waldrop, Daniel Darrach
General Services Administration (GSA) - Josh Sawislak, Ramon Riesgo, Jim King
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) - Gary Becker
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) - US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) - Chad Gilchrist, Dennis Counihan
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) - U.S. Coast Guard - Nicholas Mpras
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) - U.S. VISIT - Julie Sherwin
Department of Commerce (DOC) - David Olsen
Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) - Agustin de la Rosa, Esther Hitzfelder, John Bendele, Ed Pensock
New Mexico Department of Transportation (NMDOT) - Joseph de la Rosa
New Mexico Border Authority (NMBA) - Jaime Campos, Jim Creek
California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) - Pedro Orso-Delgado, Sergio Pallares, Bill Figge, Ross Cather, Ismael Salazar, Rob Stott
Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) - Dale Buskirk, Rudy Pérez

Mexican Delegation

Secretaría de Comunicaciones y Transportes (SCT-DGDC) -Juan José Erazo, Miguel ángel Gutiérrez, Francisco Calvario, Manuel Cuan
Secretaría de Comunicaciones y Transportes (SCT- Auto Transporte) Jesús Pablo Mercado
Secretaría de Comunicaciones y Transportes (SCT- Planeación) Hiram Martínez, Abel Contreras
Instituto Mexicano de Transporte (IMT) - Alberto Mendoza
Secretaría de Comunicaciones y Transportes (Centro SCT - Baja California) - Francisco Quintero
Secretaría de Comunicaciones y Transportes (Centro SCT - Sonora) - Israel Armenta
Secretaría de Desarrollo Económico (SEDESOL) - Salvador Gómez
Instituto de Administración y Avalúos de Bienes Nacionales (indAAbin) - Laura Selene MillÁn
Aduana - Carlos Morales
Secretaría de Relaciones Exteriores (SRE) - Sean Cazares
Secretaría de Relaciones Exteriores (SRE) Cónsul General of Mexico in San Diego - Lydia Antonio
Secretaría de la Función Pública (CICOPI) - Maria álvarez
Gobierno del Estado de Baja California - Evangelina Ceballos, Jorge D'Garay, (SEDECO) - Francisco Verduzco, (SIDUE) - Sergio Montes, Carlos Lopez
Gobierno del Estado de Sonora (SIUE) - Fernando Lam
Gobierno del Estado de Chihuahua (SCOP) - Luis Maynez
Gobierno del Estado de Tamaulipas - Vicente Saint Martín Gobierno del Estado de Coahuila (SUOP) - Noe García
Gobierno del Estado de Nuevo León - Leticia Aguirre
Corporación para el Desarrollo de la Zona Fronteriza (CODEFRONT) de Nuevo León - Pedro Pablo Treviño, Juan Carlos Gastellum

Consultants and Others

Councilmember Jim Maddafer, San Diego City Council (Welcoming Remarks)
Councilmember Benjamin Hueso, San Diego City Council (Welcoming Remarks)
New Mexico State University - Quinn Korbulic, Bob Czerniak
GTSI - Venu Sarakki
El Paso MPO - Ricardo Dominguez, Salvador Gonzalez-Ayala
San Diego Association of Governments - Elisa Arias, Cheryl Mason
City of El Paso - Bridge Division - Ray Mendoza
Puente Internacional Zaragoza-Ysleta - Virginia Dorantes

May 21 - U.S. and Mexico Only Sessions

May 22, 2007 - Joint Working Committee Meeting-Joint Session ¹

Meeting Purpose and Introductions - Jill Hochman - FHWA and Juan Jose Erazo - SCT
Jill initiated the meeting, expressing that she would be acting as co-chair in place of Gloria Shepherd who sent her regrets. Jill welcomed the delegates, and extended a warm welcome to those individuals participating for the very first time, including Josh Sawislak of the General Services Administration (GSA), Gary Becker of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Private Sector Office, David Olsen from Department of Commerce (DOC) and Sean Cazares from the Secretaría de Relaciones Exteriores (SRE). Juan Jose Erazo indicated that he would be acting as co-chair in place of José San Martín who sent his regrets. The Secretaría de Comunicaciones y Transportes (SCT) is proud of the work of the JWC and now that Oscar de Buen has been promoted to Under Secretary of Infrastructure, the JWC and its work will continue to be of importance to SCT. They look forward to working on binational projects including SENTRI (Secure Electronic Network for Travelers' Rapid Inspection) and bottleneck studies, and will be adding staff, including Manuel Cuan, who will be assisting SCT.

Welcoming Remarks - San Diego Councilmembers Jim Madaffer and Benjamin Hueso
Councilmember Madaffer welcomed the group and indicated that U.S.-Mexico transportation issues are of key importance to the San Diego Region. Recently Mr. Madaffer and a delegation of San Diegans were warmly received in Mexico City, where they discussed projects of interest to the region, including the Cross-Border Airport Terminal and the SR11/Otay Mesa East Port of Entry project. As detailed in the Caltrans/SANDAG study of Economic Impacts of Border Wait Times at the San Diego-Baja California Border Region ², the region loses $4 billion a year due to delays that can extend beyond 3 hours. Mr. Madaffer has a vision of a new smart border, where wait times are shorter, where public/private partnerships are accepted and where shared U.S./Mexican inspections are envisioned. He will be monitoring progress on the SR11/Otay Mesa East Port of Entry project, where a financial feasibility study will be completed on the Mexican side, and working with the San Diego Airport Authority on the Cross-Border Airport Terminal. He also has established a Blue Ribbon Committee for the Mayor of San Diego to assist and monitor these two specific projects. Mr. Madaffer supports more efforts border-wide such as Caltrans' Border Master Plan to analyze and evaluate projects. He concluded by thanking the JWC for keeping the lines of communication open.

Councilmember Hueso also welcomed the group and mentioned that he is part of the transportation subcommittee that is interested in investing in transportation infrastructure at the border, including at the Brown Field International Airport. City, regional and federal transportation officials are aligned in their understanding that binational projects are necessary not just for the region, but also for the State of California, for Mexico and for the nation. Mr. Hueso works on the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) Borders' Committee to plan these binational projects and to coordinate the business and economic development aspects of these projects. Mr. Hueso encourages the JWC to take advantage of the resources available at the border: people, geographic proximity, etc. to improve trade. He also is dedicated to investigating the necessary changes in federal and state law to make private-public partnerships a reality for the SR11/Otay Mesa East Port of Entry project, and the Cross-Border Airport Terminal.

Approval of minutes from Saltillo November 2006 meeting - All
The JWC approved the minutes without comment.

Trilateral Transportation Meeting Summary - Jill Hochman - FHWA and Juan Jose Erazo - SCT
The transportation ministers for Canada, the United States and Mexico met in Tucson, Arizona in late April. This trilateral ministers' meeting was an historical occurrence and included bilateral and trilateral meetings. A few specific projects were discussed, but the meetings were more a general commitment to continue to work together. The meeting focused on aviation, trade - including tourism, safety and harmonizing regulations. A trilateral declaration was signed and has been posted on the JWC website (it was part of the background material for the JWC meeting). Jeff Shane, U.S. DOT's Under Secretary for Policy is in charge of meeting follow-up work.

Juan Jose added that SCT is very interested to follow up with the actions outlined in the trilateral declaration. SCT's Under Secretary for Infrastructure, Oscar de Buen, is very interested in projects that will enhance trade/tourism. SCT is closely following the Federal Motor Carrier Administration's (FMCSA's) pilot study allowing Mexican registered trucks to enter the U.S. as defined in the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). SCT also supports the Free and Secure Trade (FAST) program that allows pre-registered, pre-cleared commercial vehicle drivers to have dedicated lanes for faster service, and would like to see that program expanded border-wide with increased infrastructure in Mexico. A uniform level of service of 20 minute wait time at border ports of entry is also being supported by SCT.

Border Security Projects Overview - Robert (Buck) Waldrop - DOS
Buck gave a brief overview of Department of State's (DOS) involvement in the development of SENTRI (Secure Electronic Network for Travelers' Rapid Inspection) infrastructure in Mexico to enhance security along the U.S.-Mexico border. DOS, through its International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) bureau has completed and funded five SENTRI lanes (Tijuana, Mexicali, Nogales, Nuevo Laredo, and Matamoros) across Mexico, with a sixth project to be completed in Reynosa by September 2007. While DOS supports more lanes being built, INL will no longer be able to fund the projects.

Venu Sarakki - GTSI
Venu thanked the JWC for their assistance to him and SCT in the design and construction of the SENTRI lanes. Venu indicated that the projects have a benefit to cost ratio ranging from 50 -200/1 and that he has been happy to participate in such a successful program.

Miguel Ángel Gutiérrez - SCT
Miguel Ángel gave a presentation on the benefits of SENTRI (Secure Electronic Network for Travelers' Rapid Inspection)/FAST (Free and Secure Trade) projects and the completion of projects border-wide. Miguel Angel also thanked the JWC for their assistance in what has proven to be a coordination effort on a large scale. SCT thinks that the SENTRI program is very important and the agency is proposing new lanes in seven existing and future locations border wide. For new projects, SENTRI will be included as part of the funding packages for design and construction. For existing crossings, SCT is looking for alternate forms of funding, ranging from SCT grant funding, funding from the Secretaría de la Función Publica (SFP), to public/private partnerships to continue the effort. Seven new SENTRI lanes are proposed by SCT at existing and new locations across the border.

Discussion: There is some question as to whether Presidential permits may be required for SENTRI lanes. If permits are required, the need for a Presidential permit itself will not delay project implementation, but the requirement will create a need for better and more binational coordination. DOS will be a good starting place for coordination and implementation of new SENTRI lanes. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) indicated that there is an important nexus between new lanes and available staffing, but expressed willingness to work with Mexico on their plans. Corporación para el Desarrollo de la Zona Fronteriza (CODEFRONT) of Nuevo León and the State of Tamaulipas both indicated that SENTRI was a great program. Use of SENTRI can help improve the environment by reducing fuel consumption and improving air quality. Finally, SFP indicated that it would be lending support from the Mexican federal government to continue the SENTRI program in new locations.

2005-2007 Work Plan
Regional Border Master Plan Proposal - Pedro Orso-Delgado - Caltrans
Pedro gave an overview of the process to create a regional border-wide master plan with a comprehensive and prioritized assessment of the bi-state POE and transportation needs. State/local/federal governments have long had overlapping interests at the POEs, as evidenced by the many, varied proposals for port of entry projects. The master plan will be collaborative, and will provide a rational way for planning and funding cycles to work together for the benefit of the region.

Jorge D'Garay - Governor's Office Baja California
Jorge thanked the FHWA for providing funding for the study, and thanked SRE, California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) and SANDAG for their work. He is looking forward to the development of the process that will optimize projects. He encouraged all involved to share their data so that the project can move forward. Jorge repeated a comment from Carlos Rico, Under Secretary at SRE that the border seems to be riding a fixed bicycle, and that several of the projects under discussion when Mr. Rico was involved with U.S.-Mexico relations 10-15 years ago, remain the same projects being discussed today. Jorge believes that the successful completion of the Border Master Plan will help some of these projects move along.

Elisa Arias - SANDAG Service Bureau
Elisa, project manager for the study, introduced Cheryl Mason - SANDAG Service Bureau, to give a basic overview of the project and provide a discussion of where the project is to date.

Cheryl Mason - SANDAG Service Bureau
Cheryl began her discussion by emphasizing that the Border Master Plan is a pilot project for California and Baja California that will be used as a basis for a compendium of local/regional master plans. California and Baja California have a great opportunity to shape the Master plan and work out the details for other regions. Cheryl outlined how the Border Master Plan process was being carried out in a series of tasks and task reports. Cheryl and Elisa from the Service Bureau prepare a series of questionnaires for each task asking about planning and project information. The questionnaires are distributed. Answers are received and then presented to the Technical Working Group (TWG), at the staff level, where a discussion is held. Feedback is provided from the TWG to the consultant team and the information is adjusted accordingly. Then the same information, adjusted from the TWG is presented to the Policy Advisory Committee (PAC), at the decision maker level. Then the information is compiled into a draft technical memo, which will be combined with other draft technical memos from the other tasks to form a complete draft report. Cheryl also showed how the project schedule has slipped by approximately two months due to incomplete or missing questionnaires.

Discussion: Pedro encouraged all participants to provide information to the Service Bureau, emphasizing that without full participation the project will not be successful. Joseph de la Rosa asked how the Border Master Plan project fits in with other JWC efforts, such as the Border Infrastructure Needs Assessment (BINS II)/Border Geographic Information Systems (BGIS) project. He also is concerned that once the Border Master Plan is completed on a border wide basis that there may be a scenario where the regions start competing with each other. Pedro responded that a mechanism to determine priorities nationally is needed in order to avoid regional competition, but that it is important to start at the ground level and build upward from a regional starting point to maybe reach that national focus. Jill Hochman said that the Border Master Plan is a stage setting effort to get to a bigger level. SCT indicated that they would have their information turned in to the consultants by Friday May 25. They had a concern that their traffic projections for cars and commercial vehicles were not based on the most recent projections of investment and economic information. Salvador Gomez from the Secretaría de Desarrollo Económico (SEDESOL) expressed interest in participating in the Border Master Plan.

Border Information Flow Architecture (BIFA) - Crystal Jones - FHWA
Crystal indicated that the goal of the BIFA is to develop a framework or "plan" that depicts how the U.S. and Mexico can work cooperatively to deploy Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) and Technology to improve operations at or near the border. The U.S. national ITS architecture serves as a framework that states and regions use to develop regional architectures that guide ITS deployments at the state and local level. The idea behind the BIFA is similar in that a generic architecture could be developed such that the U.S./Mexican Border States could use it to deploy ITS and other technology in the border region. The U.S. is on its fourth version of the national architecture and most states have identified individuals of high ITS expertise. The Mexican national architecture was completed last year and Mexico has, as yet, to develop a team of experts.

These identified, local and trained individuals would then become the individuals who will participate in the BIFA development process. It is expected that there will be at least one face-to-face workshop held in a central location. Both United States (U.S.) and Mexican participants agreed to bring other key stakeholders into the process, like Customs or local autotransporte contacts. Assuming that the project can get back on track and accomplish the key steps of identifying regions and conducing training, it is possible that the first draft of BIFA would be complete by May 2008.

Juan Jose Erazo - SCT
Juan Jose presented SCT's idea of how to implement JWC developed tools, including BIFA at selected locations along the U.S.-Mexico border. Their preference is that the area of first interest would be the Reynosa/McAllen area. This area would be a natural fit for BIFA implementation due to the new international bridges being completed in the near term, the construction of a ring road around the City of Reynosa and new transportation infrastructure linking the interior of Mexico with the border crossings. SCT would like the first BIFA pilot to be focused in this area. Oscar de Buen, SCT's Under Secretary of Infrastructure is interested in this project for this area and is very supportive of it.

Discussion: Stakeholders will be identified from all 8 major regions (San Diego -Tijuana, Mexicali -Calexico, Nogales - Nogales, El Paso - Juarez, Eagle Pass - Piedras Negras, Laredo -Nuevo Laredo, Reynosa - McAllen and Brownsville - Matamoros) and trained. Once a generic basis is set, and all the people are trained, we can move to Reynosa as the first focus area, then to the other areas. Mike Avery commented that the reason the training would be provided by the CETRATET centers is that unlike the U.S., the metropolitan or regional planning associations (MPOs) in Mexico are not as strong in specialized ITS abilities or planning. He suggests that a sub-group of MPOs could meet with the CETRATET centers to exchange information. A detailed work plan is required to develop a strong ITS architecture.

Jesus Pablo Mercado - SCT
Jesus Pablo gave a presentation on Mexico's newly completed architecture. There are projected to be national and state/regional level ITS networks that will provide a variety of different services in eleven different service areas (national security, highway safety, emergency services, vehicle services, commercial transport, electronic tolls for commercial transport, network operation, incident response, weather monitoring, public transit, traveler information). Several of these service areas have potential for applications at the border.

Border Infrastructure Needs Assessment (BINS II)/Geographic Information Systems (GIS) - Joseph de la Rosa - NMDOT and Quinn Korbulic - NMSU
Joseph introduced Quinn who gave an overview of the work completed to date for BINS- a developed systematic approach for assessing transportation needs in the border region (100km north and south of the international boundary) including defining criteria, evaluation process, border-wide data base and evaluation tools, significant projects and methods for funding the projects. Out of the BINS/BGIS work, further recommendations to improve corridor identification and selection, improve data collection and storage, include safety and environmental criteria, link BINS information to the GIS network already developed to house a data for the border geo-spatially will be incorporated. BINS II will span the gaps identified from BINS and fully integrate the GIS. It will also address a methodology to update corridors on a regular basis. Next steps include a Technical Advisory Committee meeting in June 2007 (El Paso). State and federal representatives' GIS staffs are encouraged to attend. All JWC members and attendees are welcome, but the specialists in GIS are the ones that are most needed. A list is being updated today at the meeting to ensure that the correct people are invited and encouraged to attend. The full project will be completed 2009.

Joseph reiterated the need to understand what is the value of BINS II? How will this developed tool be used? Joseph tied this back to the earlier discussion with Pedro Orso and the Border Master Plan. The tools form a framework for the JWC and need to be used together. The bottom line is that both this project BINS II and the Border Master Plan are about data, the collection and use of data to develop useful documents and plans. One possible use for this could be in the area of road safety, building on the work that Dr. Luis Chias of the Universidad Autónoma de México (UNAM) has done with linking accident data to GIS networks. Other uses such as this one need to be identified and documented. Again Joseph reminded the JWC that it is crucial to any of these efforts that the states provide their data in a timely manner. Data seems to be submitted arbitrarily and data gathering needs to be tightened and improved for this project (and others) to be successful.

NMSU and NMDOT will continue to identify and address gaps. As the effort moves beyond the TAC meeting, then JWC members and attendees will be required to discuss the criteria to be used for the later stages of the project. Miguel Angel emphasized that the BINS II/BGIS effort needs to occur not just at the Ports of Entry, but to include the cities/regions and major corridors.

Hiram Martinez - SCT
National Inventory of Infrastructure 2006 - MichoacÁn
In 2006, SCT began the process of updating the national infrastructure inventory first begun in 1996. Hiram gave a presentation demonstrating the completed work for the State of MichoacÁn. Geographic and roadway information was gathered via GPS (global positioning systems) and fills a database with useful information such as name, type, number of lanes, geometry, drainage, SCT buildings, mile markers, geometry, condition, pavement type, railway data, and other useful information. This tool will be of great help to SCT.

Safety Planning Follow-up - Mike Avery - 2007-2009 FHWA
Mike brought greetings and apologies from Michael Halladay Director of the Office of Safety Program Delivery & Integration, who supports the concept of road safety not only nationwide, but also specifically in the border region. The JWC has had an increased focus on safety since 2005, has hosted one safety event (Hermosillo 2006), developed follow-on actions and participated in a binational conference partially focused on safety (Hidalgo County 2007). The question is where do we go from here? One critical need is for the establishment of a baseline of the safety situation. A road safety audit has been identified as a good way to begin to gather the required baseline information. Baseline information was also identified as a need, by Dr. Luis Chias and others. Mike would like a commitment from the group today that the JWC will continue to consider safety as one of its priorities, by working toward the Road Safety Audit, following up on identified safety actions, in the development of a safety baseline, and with workshop planning.

Discussion: Dale indicated that he would like to see an item in the 2007-2009 Work Plan that emphasizes on safety at the border, especially its unique and particular safety issues. The baseline of safety is a good start, but then Dale would like to see the effort expanded to a pilot study that would focus a road safety audit on a particular border crossing itself and on its specific safety issues. This idea was considered by the group to be a good item for the next work plan. The JWC agreed to include a "Road Safety Audit" for a particular border crossing in the list of possible activities for 2007-2009 Work Plan.

Chad asked if the safety signage pilot was completed. Roger replied that the joint effort between FHWA/CBP/GSA was to develop a guide for roadway signage that is currently being pilot tested in Calais/St. Stephens, on the northern border. Once the pilot is complete, FHWA will develop a policy memo and then add a supplement to the Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) for border crossings. A similar pilot may be scheduled for the southern border at a later time. Jill mentioned that road safety is important as automobile accidents are the number one killer of children and seniors. Juan Jose indicated that the Instituto Mexicano de Transporte (IMT) is working on safety nationwide, and that SCT supports both this and Dr. Chias' work. Representatives from New Mexico, California, and Jesus Pablo Mercado, SCT have agreed continue to work on Safety in binational transportation planning with Mike Avery, FHWA.

Regional Border Innovative Finance Activities - Frederick Werner - FHWA
The finance team continues to work with developing techniques for disseminating information on finance. They are currently continuing to work with SANDAG/Caltrans/Baja California to use the completed financial feasibility study (and other follow-on financial feasibility work) to develop a binational financial plan for the SR11/Otay Mesa East POE/Otay II project. They are assisting Webb County, TX Laredo, TX, the State of Nuevo León and U.S./Mexican entities obtain a Presidential permit and financial feasibility studies for a new rail crossing in Webb County. They presented a Financing Techniques Guide for Border Project Sponsors at the Border to Border Conference in McAllen, TX, and are working with Hidalgo County Regional Mobility Authority to develop a long-term strategy for financing a bypass around the McAllen, Mission and Pharr areas of Texas. Finally, they are ready to work with El Paso/Juarez/New Mexico on the planned innovative finance workshop as that event gets scheduled.

Keith Bishop - FHWA
Keith speaks from his experience in private/public partnership in South Carolina and Louisiana. In South Carolina, use of government bonds and the State Infrastructure Bank allowed projects to be accelerated. Several lessons were learned with regard to public/private partnerships based on South Carolina's example. 1) It is possible that the best deals were not negotiated for projects and that the state paid too much for some projects, 2) better communication was necessary 3) the cost of the program wasn't fully understood, 4) the length of payback wasn't fully understood 5) costs for the project weren't always estimated well and 6) better coordination was required with public utilities, who were not ready for the project.

Discussion: How much debt is reasonable? South Carolina used 15% which is the maximum you can have. California is operating on a 6% assumption. The debt should be based on accurate revenue projections.

El Paso/NM/Cd. Juarez Innovative Finance Workshop Status - Sylvia Grijalva - FHWA and Ricardo Dominguez - El Paso MPO
Another regional finance workshop is planned the El Paso/Juarez/NM area. Regional stakeholders have agreed to meet to discuss potential projects and then decide whether a regional workshop would meet their current needs. Ricardo has met with his Mexican counterpart agency (Instituto Municipal de Investigación y Planeación (IMIP)) to discuss the effort, which has taken longer than expected due to the complexities of the three states and two countries involved. The El Paso MPO will continue to take the lead in this effort. Ricardo Dominguez (El Paso MPO) and Sylvia Grijalva (FHWA) will work on developing a finance workshop in the El Paso/Ciudad Juarez/Southern NM region.

SR11/Otay Mesa East/Mesa de Otay II/Tijuana - Pedro Orso-Delgado - Caltrans and Elisa Arias - SANDAG
Pedro gave a background on why a financial feasibility study was necessary. Elisa gave an overview of the study. The study purpose was to determine if the SR11/Otay Mesa East/Otay II project would be financially feasible if the project were to be developed as a toll facility, including evaluating the potential investor market and credit rating attractiveness. The study was developed using a combination of four models: border crossing demand, port of entry (POE) and toll diversion model, toll revenue model, and financial model, and reviewed by a panel of peers. The study assumes that the new mixed mode POE (commercial and passenger vehicle) will provide a premium service to border crossers who will be willing to pay for the service. Based on the study results, the roadway project (including capital, operations and maintenance costs) is feasible with a grant of $50m, if the project costs also include capital costs for the POE, the project would be feasible with a grant of $400m. Next steps for the project will be completion of a financial feasibility study for Mexico, a functionality study that will determine the best type of POE (commercial/passenger), an economic benefit analysis, work to develop legislation that would allow for tolls/fees, dedication of right-of-way for the project, a completed environmental document, and acquisition of a Presidential permit.

Discussion:
Gary Becker made reference to earlier work completed by Caltrans/SANDAG on economic value of border wait times and wondered if financial feasibility study quantified in any way the economic benefits of the new port of entry, not just in terms of direct revenue streams from tolls, but also to the region/nation as a whole. He indicated that the more we can quantify savings the better the case can be developed for the project.

Francisco Calvario - SCT
As part of its development process for the port of entry at Otay Mesa II, SCT will be contracting a cost-benefit study, a transit study, and an investment/financial feasibility study. All studies are expected to be complete by December 2007. The financial feasibility study will follow SCT/Banobras rules for major public works projects. The concession for these studies for Otay II is expected to be awarded by SCT in two weeks. SCT will share the Scope of Work for the feasibility studies for Otay Mesa II, including financial feasibility, once the bidding process is complete and the project has been awarded. Once the above studies are complete, SCT will continue on with a sensitivity analysis including toll, growth, alternate project and risk analysis.

Discussion: Dan Darrach asked for clarification on whether the financial feasibility study is based on premium service at the new port of entry, where premium service is a wait time of 20 minutes or less. The response was yes, but this is based on the time to get to primary inspection at CBP, not inclusive of the inspection time. One way to achieve this level of service is to have sufficient staffing at the port of entry. Another way to achieve this is through congestion pricing, in that when the lines are longer, the fee to cross increases, thus transferring some drivers who were willing to pay at lower prices back into regular lanes. SCT will be asking potential users about their time preferences through a survey conducted as part of SCT's port of entry development process.

Border Wizard Pilot Studies - San Diego - Tijuana - Elisa Arias - SANDAG
SANDAG received a Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) grant to test the feasibility of implementation of the Border Wizard software with regional transportation planning software. SANDAG wanted to use the Border Wizard/transportation planning software link to model the proposed Otay Mesa East Port of Entry. They used the recently updated cross-border model, which is designed to work with SANDAG's existing TransCAD traffic model (a U.S. to U.S. component) and Tijuana's Instituto Municipal de Planeación's (IMPLAN's) model (a Mexico to Mexico component), for the pilot. Regal Decision Systems was contracted to run the Border Wizard. The PLAN mode of the traffic model was used to simulate the arrival of bus, commercial and passenger vehicles and pedestrians entering the U.S. The analyses used baseline Border Wizard parameters (size, capacities, operations etc.) for the Otay Mesa POE with 2015 forecast traffic volumes. Model outputs included transit time, wait times, queue sizes and number of vehicles processed. A series of charts were shown with the various outputs. Border Wizard is versatile in that it allows inputs of various user types. It can analyze current conditions at POEs, demonstrate inadequacies in design and lead to some site design solutions. It is less promising in that it is not a forecasting tool, and does not include possible increased implementation of FAST or SENTRI lanes, or cannot project capacity increases due to future port configurations.

Discussion: Juan Jose commented that SCT had done a study using SimFronteras - the Mexican version of the software, and had encountered problems with identification of saturation points or capacity for ports of entry. They also had difficulty changing routes of vehicles inside the simulated ports of entry. He asked Elisa if Border Wizard had similar problems or if these issues were not present. Elisa indicated that the software is difficult to use, is expensive to be trained on and cannot be used with the ports of entry. For specific modeling issues, she deferred to Salvador GonzÁlez-Ayala, who had more extensive experience using the actual software, whereas SANDAG used the software developer, Regal Decision Systems, to run the software.

El Paso - JuÁrez - Salvador GonzÁlez-Ayala - IMIP
The El Paso MPO did not contract with Regal Decision Systems but instead elected to be trained in the use of the software and perform the model runs in-house. In general, the El Paso MPO evaluated comparative macro- and micro- level models for 3 POEs (Paso del Norte, Stanton St and Anapra/Sunland Park). They linked Border Wizard with their 2005 TransCAD trans-border passenger travel demand model. With the macro-level traffic model (TransCAD), crossing delays are fed as inputs while crossing demand is a resultant output. With the micro-level model (Border Wizard) crossing demand is fed as an input and crossing delays are outputs. Both models when used together can be used to refine the system. Validation of the model systems was conducted. Demand evaluated with this system was within 10 percent of observed demand, much closer than traditional modeling. Modeled delays were underrepresented by about 20% from observed delays.

With regard to user-friendliness and adaptability, Border Wizard has nice graphics, but it could improve in user friendliness. As indicated by SANDAG, there is no specific way to model trusted traveler programs such as FAST/SENTRI. There is limited flexibility to change inspection times and occurrences due to the "black box effect". Version 6.0.2 generated many unclear error messages, and extra assistance is expensive. There is not an easy way to transfer data between models. There is not an easy way to update baseline information. The combination of macro- and micro-level analysis was an improvement over micro-level analysis alone, but it is the recommendation of the El Paso MPO that the same level of analysis can be performed with cheaper, more readily available software with the provision of two probability factors from CBP (the frequency distribution of inspection occurrence and the frequency distribution of inspection time). They would like to perform the same kind of analysis using the VISUM/VISSUM software packages and are currently looking for funding.

Discussion: The purpose of the Border Wizard pilot was to evaluate the compatibility and linkages between Border Wizard (simulation model) and local or regional travel demand forecasting models. In general, Border Wizard is a great model when you are looking at the port of entry only, but it is not applicable for use in transportation planning. It can be used by GSA and CBP to design and test different configurations for ports of entry. Mexican customs can use SimFronteras for similar purposes. Existing software applications are much better for use in transportation planning and could be still more refined if the key pieces of information outlined by Salvador in his presentation were made available.

Bottlenecks Study - Phase II
Nogales Bottleneck Study- Rudy Pérez - ADOT and Fernando Lam -Sonora Arizona and Sonora are committed to conduct a bottleneck study of the transportation infrastructure at the Nogales Ports of Entry. The contract with the University of Arizona was signed this week and the study will be complete by summer 2008. A separate traffic study will also be conducted. This will not begin until the heavy traffic season begins.

Texas Bottleneck Study - John Bendele - TxDOT
TxDOT is working on a border travel time study which will identify one project for each of Texas' 26 Ports of Entry. The contract has been signed and the study is now underway, with the first stakeholders' workshop scheduled for later this month in El Paso. The entire study will be complete in 12 months. The study has a two-fold purpose: travel time analyses for passengers and freight and identification and improvement of bottlenecks (up to 5 miles from the border (outside the CBP federal facilities)) with a 2-5 year implementation period. The study will yield recommendations and a financial plan. Further updates will be provided as the study progresses.

Regional Operations Model - Juan Jose Erazo - SCT
This project seeks to develop an integrated methodology using JWC developed tools, and other traditionally used tools, to identify infrastructure projects that will facilitate binational flow. SCT will review JWC tools and previously completed studies, develop a typical transportation planning model, and then see which projects are the best to pursue. This methodology was tested in Reynosa. Tamaulipas with development of a zone system and network, identification of infrastructure projects, development of an urban network, origin and destination matrices and a demand model. The model is envisioned to be both macro/micro (meso/regional) using software packages such as VISUM/VISIM, SimFronteras. They have supply/demand numbers at the segment level and historical data for the study areas. Mexico plans to use this study to identify ways that Mexico's transportation network can be more competitive. Various improvements in the Reynosa area have been identified on the roadway transportation system as well as at the actual border crossings. SCT generated several scenarios using user equilibrium as the main objective (volume of traffic at optimum saturation point). SCT will derive future volume at the binational bridges from this model. Once the traffic volumes at the binational bridges are at certain point, SCT will recommend implement commercial traffic processing at Anzalduas and Donna POEs. Applying this model, priority investments were identified ($200,000,000 of public and private funds in the next 3 years). SCT is utilizing the model to justify with SRE and DOS the widening of some of the Binational bridges. SCT also wants to utilize Intelligent Transportation Systems to manage traffic in the area.

Discussion:
Sergio Montes asked if this is related to the concession model used by SCT. Juan Jose replied that various models were applied in Reynosa. These will be the same models that will be applied for the proposed Otay Mesa II Port of entry and surrounding transportation infrastructure. Sergio Montes asked for the time frame of these improvements? Juan Jose replied that by 2009 all the projects should be completed. Right now in the Reynosa area, all the binational bridges have the same toll. So other deciding factors for shippers are travel times/ level of service. Congestion pricing will be considered by SCT to better balance the transportation system in the region. All of these proposed improvements were identified with out the benefit of a border master plan. SCT anticipates that even more can get done once the border master plan concept is used at other border regions.

Low Cost -High Impact Projects: Identification of Projects in Targeted Metro Areas - Juan Jose Erazo - SCT
As part of SCT's efforts to systemically use JWC tools to facilitate border crossings, several high impact-low costs are being identified for the eight targeted metro areas (San Diego -Tijuana, Mexicali -Calexico, Nogales - Nogales, El Paso - Juarez, Eagle Pass - Piedras Negras, Laredo -Nuevo Laredo, Reynosa - McAllen and Brownsville - Matamoros). Most significant among these would be more FAST/SENTRI lanes. These have a benefit / cost ratio of at least $50/ $1.

CETRATET/BTEP implementing JWC Tools
Technology Transfer of SimFronteras Model - Manuel Cuan - SCT
SCT is looking for the most effective way to bring the benefits of the SimFronteras software package, and other products of their border planning "tool-kit" to others. They are developing agreements based on annual work plans with the CETRATETs, and with the Universities to which the CETRATETs pertain, for distribution of the "tool-kit". The Universidad Autónoma de Tamaulipas has already signed the agreement with SCT. They are working to sign agreements with the other 5 centers. It is anticipated that the CETRATETs could charge their stakeholders a fee for use of the SCT products, which would help the centers be financially self-sufficient.

Michael Avery - FHWA
FHWA funds both the Border Technology Exchange Program (BTEP), which is administered by the U.S. states, and the Technology Transfer Centers in the Mexican border states, now referred to as CETRATETs, which are administered by a committee to which FHWA and others, including SCT and the State Departments of Transportation, are advisors. There are CETRATETS in all six northern Mexican Border States. FHWA is recruiting for a BTEP program manager. This position will no longer be exclusively located in Washington D.C. but may be located in a border state or other location.

Discussion: Gus emphasized that the BTEP program is an important one for TxDOT and for its Mexican partners, as evidenced by the fact that TxDOT assigns one full-time staff member to this program.

Value Engineering - Juan Jose Erazo - SCT
In the United States, projects with a cost of more than $25 million or bridges with a cost of more than $5 million need to complete a value engineering (VE) process before the projects can proceed. Mexico has projects worth up to 10 times the value of these thresholds that are proceeding without any value engineering process being completed. SCT is investigating adding requirements that will require the incorporation of VE studies into the project process. They are interested in learning more about the VE process from the U.S. States so that they can transfer the methodology for their own projects. A value engineering team, consisting of Mike Avery, Sylvia Grijalva, Joseph de la Rosa, TxDOT and Caltrans, will be formed to provide information to Mexico in this topic area.

JWC Strategic Plan -
Introductory Comments - Sylvia Grijalva - FHWA and Manuel Cuan - SCT
The JWC has been in existence for over 10 years, with two Memoranda of Understanding as a framework for the group and biennial work plans that outline activities. At the Tucson meeting, the JWC agreed that developing a strategic plan would help guide future activities of the group, could be a useful tool in selecting annual work plan items, and would help to document and institutionalize the work of the JWC. At Saltillo, a preliminary draft Strategic Plan (written in English and Spanish) was presented to the group. This draft was conceptual in nature, discussing general consensus on vision, mission and the four main strategic objectives: congestion, safety/security, global competitiveness, and sustainability.

Sylvia gave a presentation on the draft Strategic Plan to date, including the Who We Are, What We Do, Where We Are Going sections (mission and vision statements). She discussed the structure of the Strategic Plan as an umbrella where each goal is supported by objectives, which in turn are further broken down into strategies, and those strategies are met by JWC biannual work plan activities. She went over each of the four main goals, with their objectives and strategies. What the draft Strategic Plan is currently missing is a discussion of What Success Looks Like - including performance measures, reporting mechanisms and a tie of work plan items back to the goals, objectives and strategies. Performance measures can be broken down into outputs and outcomes. Sylvia outlined the next steps for the Strategic Plan with dates for implementation. These steps include distribution of a survey to external stakeholders and customers (June 2007), inclusion of external stakeholder input, inclusion of federal agencies' input (June 2007), further work by the subcommittee and group at large to identify performance measures (June/July 2007), integrate performance measures into the draft Plan (July 2007), circulate the final draft (August 2007), further refinement of final draft based on comments (August/September 2007), and approval of the finalized strategic plan (by November/December 2007 or via email in September/October 2007)

Discussion: Recall that the strategic planning process became bogged down in the discussion of the JWC performance measures which can be expressed as output - what the JWC does, e.g. road safety survey or outcome - some positive affect resulting from JWC action but not necessarily directly attributable to the JWC action, e.g. reduction of automobile fatalities in the border region. Dale commented that of the purported performance measures in this document, all of them are number oriented, e.g. number of meetings or number of web hits. These are not really performance measures that are evaluating either the Strategic Plan or the work of the JWC. It is his recommendation that we develop a baseline of performance measures. For example, instead of just listing "provided 50 hours of training on civil design software" a better performance measure would say "provided 50 hours of training on software which saved 500 man hours per construction project"

Fernando expressed frustration that the Strategic Plan does not include actual projects, and specific results. It was explained that the Strategic Plan is like an umbrella, with different themes and projects under the umbrella. Additionally the Strategic Planning process is not a static one-time effort but continues across the life of the group. The Biannual Work Plans are where more specific projects are identified. Sergio Pallares expanded the definition of projects indicating that not just capital projects, but other projects such as BTEP are also important and would fall under the Strategic Plan umbrella.

Joseph had another concern is that of the projects that are completed, or soon to be completed, such as BINS/BGIS, Border Wizard, Border Master Plan, there is nothing that ties back implementation of the projects. A better job needs to be done with this not just for performance measures but also to emphasize the importance or usefulness of what the JWC has done. Jorge suggested that a workshop on JWC products and their use would be a good tool to inform the border governors, new political appointees to office, such as the sub secretaries, or for U.S./Mexican States, or for any audience curious about the JWC. The JWC will develop a workshop or presentations describing the purpose of the JWC and on how JWC products/tools could be used to benefit federal, state and local governments.

Crystal suggested that when someone proposes a work plan item that they share their vision of success, incorporating their own performance measures including outputs and outcomes to be added to the Strategic Plan. This would help the two coordinators, Sylvia and Juan Jose, who are often on the hook for completing and measuring tasks.

After further discussion, the Strategic Plan schedule as proposed was approved. The strategic plan as written, up to and including the strategies is accepted. The JWC Strategic Planning subcommittee will focus on performance measures, with project sponsors helping by developing performance measures for their projects.

Gary Becker volunteered to participate on the subcommittee for performance measures and had a few suggestions, including championing or facilitating decreased wait times, trade, vehicular flow, revenues collected, vehicles crossed. Economic indicators such as a 10% investment on return could also be good measures. Josh Sawislak also volunteered to assist the committee in the development of performance measures.

May 23, 2007 - Joint Working Committee Meeting-Joint Session

2007-2009 Work Plan - Sylvia Grijalva - FWHA and Juan Jose Erazo - SCT
The 2007-2009 Work Plan will be consistent with the strategic plan as approved to date. The four focus areas in the Strategic Plan have been identified by the JWC: congestion, safety/security, global competitiveness, and sustainability. Work Plan projects should fit within these four focus areas. Project sponsors will need to develop performance measures and their "vision of success" to be included with their request to be added to the 2007-2009 Work Plan. Activities already completed will need to be tied back to both the Strategic Plan and the 2007-2009 Work Plan.

A long discussion ensued whether to shift the work plan from 2007-2009 to 2008-2010 considering that many of the on-going tasks from the 2005-2007 work plan are yet to be completed and we are already more than half way through FY 2007. Arguments for and against were ventured with the ultimate decision to leave the work plan as a 2007-2009 Work Plan.

Between now and the next JWC meeting in early December, there will be a call for Work Plan Items. With member input, the JWC coordinators will develop a list of proposed work plan items, with short descriptions, for the JWC to consider at the next JWC meeting. All proposed work plan activities (projects and/ or studies) will include performance measures (what success looks like for that specific project) provided by the proposing agency to Juan Jose or Sylvia. These performance measures will also be incorporated into the Strategic Plan. Items currently under consideration for the 2007-2009 Work Plan include Border Wait Times Studies, Bottleneck Studies, Traffic Studies, Road Safety Audits, Regional Master Plans, continued Innovative Finance technical assistance, Peer exchange on planning processes and Value Engineering, and UNAM safety initiatives.

Juan Jose announced that SCT, through a line of credit with BANOBRAS, in conjunction with the Banco Desarrollo Interamericano (BDI), of $2.5 billion, is looking for one binational pilot project per each Border State pair, examples of such projects would be Otay Mesa East/Otay II or a FAST lane at the Colombia bridge. This money was dedicated by SCT because the most common complaint for problems with border infrastructure was lack of capital funding. SCT requested that all U.S. States work with their Mexican partner states to identify one project for submission to SCT by June 9, 2007. SCT has developed its own list of potential projects but is interested in getting state input into the process. Pedro Orso-Delgado asked for a specific format, including required time frame for projects (e.g. to construction by a specified date), required project progress, such as completion of environmental document or acquisition of land. Gus asked which entities at the Mexican state should they be partnering with and SCT replied with the Centro's SCT and the State Transportation Departments. Juan Jose responded that general project requirements would be defined by today with more specific requirements to be delivered within a one-week period.

The Mexican and U.S. partner states will work together to agree upon one binational project to be submitted to SCT for competition in the new SCT infrastructure bond program. SCT will relay general program criteria to the U.S. and Mexican states by tomorrow morning (May 24, 2007), and more specific criteria shortly thereafter. Upon receipt of the specific criteria, the partner-state pairs will have two weeks to make a submission to SCT. CBP will send Sylvia Grijalva (FHWA) a list of projects that should be considered as candidates for competition. Upon receipt of the list, Sylvia Grijalva will redistribute it to the appropriate states.

Federal Highway has also provided funding for evaluation of and research on projects through the Surface Transportation Environment and Planning Cooperative Research Program (STEP). Jill Hochman asked that the group be alert to the feedback notice that will be sent out shortly. STEP funds are variable from year to year and any feedback that this group has with regard to the positive effects of STEP funding in the border region will help decision makers.

Border Governors' Border Crossings Worktable - Sergio Pallares - Caltrans
The Border Governors' Conference (BGC) has met for 26 years, with participation by State DOTs since 1996. The BGC is divided into different work tables. The Border Crossing Work Table (including logistics) develops recommendations on border crossings that are then included in a Joint Declaration that is signed by all 10 governors. Currently, five recommendations are being proposed by the work table 1) request that federal agencies work together with Border States to develop a border-wide master plan, similar to that being conducted in California-Baja California, 2) identify and join forces with other active border groups and agencies to leverage funding on common border issues and projects, 3) promote use of transportation information (congestion, incidents, etc.) in border states using available technologies (such as the 511 program in Arizona/Sonora - www.az511.com), 4) request federal legislation to allow private/public partnerships within the U.S. Mexico border region for transportation and land POE facilities and infrastructure construction in the U.S, and 5) Maximize current POE infrastructure by identifying current staffing and vacancy need of inspectional agencies of both countries and then asking for federal funding to fill those vacancies and by implementing tandem booth (double booth) inspection stations along the entire border.

Two recommendations are carried over from the previous Joint Declaration: 1) request funding for and expedite SENTRI/FAST lanes across the southern border, and 2) send a letter to the State Department, Secretary Rice and the Department of Homeland Security, Secretary Chertoff, addressing issues with the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative: that the Secretaries officially consider the BGC a consulting agency for border port of entry issues, that they extend implementation to the latest date allowed by law, June 2008, that they perform certain activities included in the law prior to implementation including an evaluation of the economic impact of implementation and the conduct of an information/outreach campaign in both the U.S. and Mexico to inform travelers. The next Border Governors' meeting will be held in Sonora in September 2007.

Discussion: Jim King asked if the decision to invite one federal agency representative per agency, which was tentatively discussed and then confirmed at the last Border Governors' meeting in Austin, still stands. He is his agency's representative and has received no information about the upcoming meeting. The decision still stands and invitations will be issued to the federal agency representatives via the Department of State or SRE. Sean Cazares stated that he supported the work of the BGC with regard to the expansion of the SENTRI/FAST programs. Prior to any list being forwarded, SRE will work together with the other Mexican agencies through the Grupo Intersecretarial to develop through consensus a harmonized Mexican proposal for new SENTRI/FAST lanes.

Strategic Resource Assessment (SRA) Update- Chad Gilchrist - CBP
CBP is in the process of Land Port of Entry (LPOE) modernization, CBP is interested in improving conditions at their 163 LPOEs in order to fully support CBP's mission at the border. The average age of the LPOE is 44 years old. Several sites are over capacity with little opportunity for expansion. To help address needs, CBP has grouped the LPOEs into four categories: small, medium, large and mega. Each category of LPOE has its own set of deficiencies. CBP's Capital Improvement Program develops a 5-year CPB investment strategy based upon a project prioritization method using the Strategic Resource Assessments, the Planning database and management tools, and the annual update process. CBP is investigating a variety of funding strategies, including increased federal buildings fund appropriation, public/private partnerships and lease-back financing. CBP is also looking at ways to improve product delivery with process and systems improvements. Some ideas being discussed are prototype components that are scaleable from LPOE to LPOE, and reduced project costs through innovative designs such as green buildings.

Discussion: When can the cleaned SRAs be given to the U.S. States? Chad will respond to Sylvia in two weeks. It is expected that at that time the San Diego and Laredo SRAs will be able to be distributed, but the SRA itself will not be as useful as the information already submitted to Caltrans for use in the Border Master Plan. The SRAs are to be updated on a 3-year cycle, with the next round beginning in a few months. Will CBP be releasing their 5-year plan any time soon? Yes, and the 5-year plan will include some projects that are expected to extend beyond a strict 5-year time horizon, e.g. projects that are expected to begin construction by 2012 but not necessarily be completed by then. The 5-year plan will also be helpful to Mexico in determining their sister-state projects for the $2.5 billion BANOBRAS/BDI program. How are LPOEs classified into the four categories? LPOEs are classified via a cluster analysis based on traffic demand, number of officers necessary to run the LPOE and number of lanes. Are SENTRI/FAST lanes considered at all the projects in the 5-year plan? These lanes are funded out of a separate fund and a separate branch of CBP, but yes, they are certainly considered. CBP will also coordinate with SRE and the other federal agencies to discuss list of potential new areas for FAST/SENTRI implementation to get concurrence binationally.

GSA/INDAABIN Projects Requiring Transportation Infrastructure - Ramon Riesgo and Jim King - GSA, Selene Millan - INDAABIN

Ramon, Jim and Selene gave a port by port analysis of projects proposed for the southern border in both the U.S. and in Mexico. Their presentations are available on-line.

Planning Subcommittee of the Intersecretarial Group for Bridges and Border Crossings - Sean Cazares - SRE
The Intersecretarial Group for Bridges and Border Crossings (Grupo Intersectretarial de Puertos y Servicios Fronterizos) is the national level group where Mexican federal agencies meet to develop a common position with regard to POEs. The group discusses such issues as negotiation, construction, operation and maintenance of POEs and the services provided at the POEs. They also evaluate and approve proposed new POEs and work to implement those same projects once they are approved. The Intersecretarial Group meets on an as-needed basis as many times per year as required to address specific issues.

The CICOPIs (Intersecretarial Commission for the Operative Coordination at International Crossings) are a similar group, but with a local focus. They also plan, promote and evaluate policies and actions of the Mexican federal government to coordinate and improve international boundaries. 4 Regional-level CICOPIs are located on the U.S.-Mexico border in Tijuana, Nogales, Ciudad Juarez and Nuevo Laredo, with 5 local-level CICOPIs in Tecate, Mexicali, Piedras Negras, Reynosa and Colombia. Up to 80% of all issues related to POEs are addressed at the local level. If there is no resolution at the local level, then the issues are raised up to the Intersecretarial Group for resolution.

The members of the Intersecretarial Group meet with their U.S. counterpart agencies at the Binational Bridges and Border Crossings Group (BBBXG), co-hosted by SRE and the State Department twice per year. Each meeting traditionally consists of two parts, a public session and a technical session for federal and state agency participation only. This group was established in 1983 as a binational mechanism for bilateral harmonization with regard to planning, construction, maintenance and development of POEs.

Buck Waldrop - DOS
From the U.S. perspective, the BBBXG can be held every six months to a year depending on format and logistical challenges. DOS would like to see continued focus on regional meetings (DOS recently hosted regional meetings in Nogales and Laredo) with up to four regional meetings per year. The larger BBBXG is not seen as an effective forum to advance the projects, including having too many promoter presentations. DOS and SRE have been working together to make progress in refining the meetings, including limiting promoter delegations to two people per nation, and expect to see continued positive change for the group.

General information on the Binational Bridges and Border Crossings Group is available electronically though the JWC webpage at http://www.borderplanning.fhwa.dot.gov/current.asp. Specific binational border project information has been posted similarly at http://www.borderplanning.fhwa.dot.gov/xing/Chart_Xing%20Projects_GOM.doc FHWA will be adding a contact number for the Department of State to these links. Please review them and if any errors are found or if you have any comments, please let DOS know.

Comprehensive Border Study - David Olsen - DOC
The Secretary of Commerce, Carlos Gutierrez, wants to work and coordinate with both sides of the border on best practices related to cross-border trade and tourism. There are two major concerns: congestion and border delay. Commerce is investigating how they as an agency, can best be utilized to address these concerns. Specific directives, such as expansion of hours of operation, attempted as pilot projects have not been successful. Commerce is in a key position to work with both its public sector sister agencies such as CBP and FHWA and the private sector to address to develop some best practices for implementation border wide. The agency is very interested in the Caltrans/SANDAG Economic Impact of Border Wait Times analysis conducted for the San Diego/Tijuana region and is pursuing completing more of these studies in other regions. The agency participates, along with DHS and DOT, on the White House's Homeland Security Council's Border Facilitation Working Group and will be addressing some of these issues there. Commerce is interested in completing this effort in a six month time frame.

Trans Texas Corridor - Ed Pensock - TxDOT
The State of Texas has a strained and rapidly aging highway system due to economic and population growth. Increased congestion contributes to reductions in economic activity and reduction in quality of life of Texans. The Trans Texas Corridor is a way to address needs for Texas. Two projects are being developed: I-69/TTC and TTC-35. Both projects were conceived as toll-roads. Texas passed legislation 1997 to allow public-private partnerships, and both of these facilities are being considered as toll-facilities. The current year legislation (2007) will most likely result in some modification to the approach for public/private partnerships, but both projects are expected to continue to completion.

Discussion: Noe Garcia had a concern that the corresponding roadway network in the Mexican states would not be sufficient to receive the flow projected from the TransTexas Corridor expected to cross the border. Ed replied that no dead-ends are envisioned and that TxDOT is aware that they will need to connect the corridor with both the international ports of entry as well as the Mexican infrastructure.

Summary of Commitments and Agreements
Sylvia Grijalva read a list of previously agreed to commitments and agreements that remain outstanding.

Sylvia Grijalva, Juan Jose Erazo and Manuel Cuan summarized the commitments and agreements reached at the current meeting. The JWC agreed with the Commitments and Agreements as read (shown in this document in orange)

Next Meeting
The next JWC meeting will be held in Tampico, Tamaulipas, Mexico on December 4 & 5, 2007.

Other Decisions and Discussion
Juan José Erazo thanked Caltrans for hosting the meeting and the Mexican delegation for their well attended participation at a meeting in the U.S. Jill Hochman thanked all the participants and expressed a special thanks to Caltrans for hosting the meeting in their District Office and their staff for all of their help.

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