San Ysidro U.S. Land Port of Entry

San Ysidro, CA

San Ysidro U.S. Land Port of Entry

The comprehensive reconfiguration, expansion, and modernization of the world’s busiest port of entry, this phased project replaced outdated inspection buildings and site facilities and expanded the number of inspection lanes, all while maintaining around-the-clock operations. The various project phases include construction of new primary and secondary inspection areas, three-story “Head House” building, three-story pedestrian processing building, one-story narcotics/seizure building, five-story employee parking garage, and sub-grade staff access tunnel. MKA’s structural solutions include special steel moment frames for the Head House and pedestrian buildings, which provide both lateral resistance and progressive collapse resistance. Interconnected by two, two-story steel-and-glass pedestrian bridges, the buildings feature an ETFE-clad skylight roof. The primary inspection canopy is a tension cable system that is supported by only three concrete columns. MKA provided the civil site design and led the LEED Platinum project’s net-zero sustainability elements for non-potable water demands, which include a 400,000-gallon rainwater reclamation system, on-site sewage treatment, eco-friendly stormwater discharge, and leveraging the landscape to facilitate stormwater reuse and habitat protection. MKA also participated in the site’s overall master plan and developed complex phasing and staging plans for construction.