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About 10 years ago, a study on Lindbergh Field by the Port of San Diego and San Diego Association of Governments concluded that the airport, by 2006, would be at capacity, and by 2010 seriously overcrowded behind. Various airport expansion plans were proposed, none of which found favor with city leaders.
At the same time, the Tijuana (Abelardo Rodriguez) airport was undergoing construction of a new jumbo jet repair facility. As part of the construction, the runway was elongated to more than 12,000 feet to accommodate takeoffs of fully loaded 747s and other large aircraft. Even before the work the airport was far under its capacity. With its runway expansion, the airport acquired the ability to handle non-stop transoceanic flights, a feat that forever will elude Lindbergh with its short runway.
That study of a decade back recommended San Diego consider the possibility of using tijuana airport's potential as an answer to Lindbergh Field's future needs. The idea was for the Tijuana airport to handle long distance, direct flights, and Lindbergh to expand its present capabilities. The Lindbergh/Tijuana airports would provide the travel and commercial air freight regional needs beyond the year 2050.
Well, it sure sounded like a good idea, but with San Diego politics being what they are, the idea became: "Let's close Lindbergh and build a new airport at the border." This new airport on Otay Mesa, would be just north of the Tijuana airport with its runway parallel to the existing Tijuana airport runway, connected by a cross border taxiway. The idea was baptized "TwinPorts."
Political missions were sent to Mexico City. Interviews were conducted with the secretaries of Communications and Transportation (SCT), Commerce, and Tourism. Capping it off with a personal visit with then President, Salinas. A binational committee was approved for the study. In Mexico the idea was not one of whether there should be an airport at the border, but rather, should there be two, since one, theirs, was already there. Mexican airport officials agreed to studies of the comparative benefits of an expanded Tijuana airport, and the need for a second airport.
Mexico's Airports and Auxiliary Services, the airport's agency under the SCT, began its study on the Tijuana airport expansion and the binational benefits. In San Diego the study on TwinPorts was undertaken.
Almost immediately the San Diego TwinPorts study ran into major troubles. The FAA ruled that the parallel runways would not work, because of the mountains east of the proposed airport. The runway had to be tweaked creating a "V" with the Tijuana runway. This meant, all aircraft landings on Otay Mesa had to cross deep into Mexican territory, ascending for landings directly over the landing patterns of the Tijuana airport. And the claims that a mere $3 billion would build the airport, were met with skepticism, particularly when Denver's new airport went from a $6 billion budget to more than $20 billion in actual costs.
Not least of the TwinPorts troubles was the political opposition put together by Rep. Bob Filner, then Supervisor Brian Bilbray, then Assemblyman Steve Peace, San Diego City Councilman Juan Carlos Vargas and the mayors of Chula Vista, National City, Imperial Beach and Coronado. They carried the battle to north and east county cities, with most taking official positions against TwinPorts.
By this point Mexico's ASA had completed its study on the expansion of the Tijuana airport, which was submitted to the San Diego binational task committee. Here it was promptly ignored. San Diego city politicians wanted TwinPorts, nothing else would do. The rest is history. Mexico didn’t go for TwinPorts. San Diego’s future air needs are still unresolved.
It wasn’t only Mexico opposing twinPorts. Without exception, all South Bay elected officials also were against the Otay Mesa airport, and in a rare display of bipartisan unity, they all favored ASA's Tijuana airport expansion idea as the most practical and economically sound plan.
Why bring this up in 1998? Because this year, the Tijuana airport more than likely will be privatized. And with privatization may come a second chance to take a serious look at the Mexican plan for an expanded Tijuana airport, and how it may be of benefit to the entire San Diego/Baja California region.
The ASA idea is quite simple. The Tijuana airport would construct a new terminal (The Tijuana/San Diego International Terminal) with a bridge to the U.S. side connecting to a passenger annex, and parking facilities. At the annex, U.S. passengers would be dropped off, proceed "in-bond" into Mexico to board international non-stop flights, reversing the procedure on arrival. The bridge would be similar to those at Lindbergh's west and east terminals, but longer.
The San Diego/Baja California region would have the benefit of direct flights to Japan, the Philippines, Taiwan, Korea, Hong Kong, Australia and most South American countries. Working in tandem with Lindbergh and Brown Field, cargo business would be expanded to all those destinations. And best for San Diego taxpayers, not counting land costs, the Otay Mesa annex would cost less than $50 million with state of the art security, custom and immigration safeguards. The returns to the region in expanded trade, tourism, and investments would be in the billions of dollars, plus hundreds of new jobs.
Patrick Osio, Jr. can be reached by e-mail:
posiojr@aol.com
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