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the intersection where it meets with the commercial traffic on SR 189.”
Jungmeyer notes the FPAA is excited about the positive benefits this will bring to its members in the form of faster, safer, more-reliable deliveries to their ware- houses. “Ultimately this will be a major win for our customers and the end consumer, as well, because we will have faster deliv- eries of the fresh, high-quality produce that is synonymous with Nogales,” he says.
The I-19 Interchange that has been approved will alleviate a lot of traffic at the Mariposa bridge, agrees Batiz of Divine Flavor. “Trucks will be able to get on the freeway without waiting for traffic lights to
turn,” he says. “The Mariposa Port of Entry is always looking for new and better tech- nology to improve trade and commerce.”
Nogales also enjoys increased invest- ment and development in cold storage as the industry continues to grow. “Nogales is going through a boom,” says Ciruli. “We are seeing a lot of new construction and land being developed for additional ware- house space. One reason we are seeing this growth spurt is to fill demand for consolidation, which will also help stream- line transportation by having trucks mini- mize the number of pickups in town.”
BEYOND THE PHYSICAL
The Nogales community also works
beyond just physical improvements to ensure smooth movement of cargo and business due to programs and communi- cations. “Not only is Mariposa the most modern, newest, sophisticated port, we are also the birthplace of the Unified Cargo Processing (UCP) program implemented by U.S. CBP and Mexican Customs,” says FPAA’s Moore.
According to Moore, the UCP program brings together both U.S. and Mexican Customs officials in the U.S. port of entry to conduct joint inspections on trucks crossing the border. “That significantly decreases crossing times by eliminating duplicative inspections on either side of the border,” she says.
176 / OCTOBER 2018 / PRODUCE BUSINESS