U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) opened FAST lanes at the U.S.-Mexico Bridge of the Americas two years ago. The El Paso Times reports that about 6% of its cross-border truck traffic used the Zaragoza Bridge FAST lane during its trial period. By contrast, the Bridge of the Americas FAST lane handles about 15% of its total truck traffic.
Beside longer hours of service, the new Zaragoza FAST lane offers clearance by stickers attached to trucks rather than transponders. During rush hours, trucks can clear the border in five minutes rather than 40 minutes required for trucks not at the FAST lane. The CBP has been moving slowly to open additional FAST lanes along the Southern border, wanting to make sure that all legal and other requirements are being met.
