GSA Awards $275M Contract for New Douglas Land Port of Entry in Arizona

The U.S. General Services Administration has awarded a $275 million contract to Hensel Phelps Construction Company for the new Douglas Land Port of Entry. The general contractor will provide Design-Build services for the new commercial port, which will be built approximately five miles west of the existing Raul Hector Castro Land Port of Entry in Douglas, Arizona. This award includes small business subcontracting goals that highlight GSA’s commitment to creating more opportunities for small businesses.

This critical infrastructure development project, which received $180 million in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding and $92 million in Inflation Reduction Act funding, will increase capacity and facilitate lawful trade and travel between the U.S. and Mexico. At the current Castro port, both inbound and outbound trucks maneuver within the same undersized commercial vehicle inspection compound, which slows traffic and poses safety hazards. Once complete, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection will relocate commercial operations from the existing Castro port to the new port. This change will increase the number of commercial vehicle inspection lanes from one to four, and the number of commercial vehicle inspection docks from 12 to 36, while also allowing for the processing of oversized mining equipment too large to cross at the Castro port. The existing Castro port will also be modernized and expanded.

GSA will design a facility that will not only enhance security and spur regional economic activity, but enhance sustainability through the implementation of sustainable design, technology and materials. The port will be all-electric, meeting the Federal Building Performance Standard, and will incorporate photovoltaic solar panels, which will generate clean renewable energy to achieve net-zero energy. It will feature water-saving fixtures, energy-efficient building systems and low-embodied carbon construction materials such as concrete and steel.

Construction is scheduled to begin in fall 2025, with completion scheduled for fall 2028.