Local officials gave the green light Friday to the terms of a key agreement needed to begin construction of San Diego’s newest border crossing. Project sponsors and the federal government have been working on the deal for two years. On Friday, the San Diego Association of Governments, or SANDAG, the project sponsor along with Caltrans, approved the conditions to be sent to the federal government for approval and awarded a $3.5 million contract to the Atkinson/Clark joint venture for preconstruction services on Otay Mesa East and related facilities. “This agreement basically sets the stage for the beginning of the construction of the port of entry and sets the relationship that the federal government wants with us with the spirit of how we will be helping the U.S. Customs and Border Protection,” said SANDAG CEO Mario Orso during the board’s meeting. The agreement still needs to be signed by all parties involved, including the federal agencies. CBP did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the agreement. The $1.3 billion Otay Mesa East border crossing project, designed for both commercial and passenger vehicles, was once expected to be delivered late last year. But negotiations with the federal government lasted longer than anticipated, delaying the project, which is now expected to be completed by the end of 2027. The Mexican side of the project is almost complete. Nikki Tiongco, South San Diego County and Trade Corridor director with Caltrans, noted during Friday’s meeting that south of the border “full completion is not possible until Otay Mesa East is built.” What will make this port of entry different is that vehicles will be charged a “dynamically priced toll” that will guarantee an average wait time to cross the border of no more than 20 to 30 minutes. The toll revenue will be evenly split with Mexico. The agreement outlines the roles of the agencies involved, such as CBP and the federal General Services Administration, with respect to design, construction, ownership and management of the project, and it details how the U.S. share of toll revenues will be divided between the agencies to support operations and maintenance. The project is expected to generate $3.7 billion in revenue for each country over the next 40 years, officials said. Gov. Gavin Newsom said last month during a San Diego visit that at the “heart of the negotiations” was seeking a commitment from CBP to staff the new port of entry. During the board’s presentation, local officials said that CBP intends to staff 10 lanes of the future Otay Mesa East border crossing 16 hours a day, year-round. A total of 12 lanes are planned in the design, but two would be closed at any given time. The federal agency would also request annual funding for staffing, subject to congressional appropriations. The construction and completion of state Route 11, seven bridges and three interchanges are also part of the project, which is more than 20 years in the making. The next step for the Otay Mesa East project is to finalize an agreement that would hand over the port to the federal government and to sign pending agreements with Mexico and the U.S. Department of Transportation. Construction of the port of entry could begin in October if the agreements are completed and the design is finalized, said the project’s manager, María Rodríguez Molina. Some board members, including Coronado Mayor John Duncan, brought up a previously discussed proposal to see if a portion of the revenue could be used for infrastructure and cleanup projects to address the Tijuana River sewage crisis. “I just think we definitely can do better and do something,” he said. Orso, SANDAG’s CEO, said that the current legislation mandates that revenue can only be used within the corridor. Last month, state Sen. Steve Padilla announced Senate Bill 10 which seeks to permit setting aside money for mitigation projects. “We are working with the senator on the legislation to provide flexibility, and we will be coming to the board for direction,” Orso said. “But he has approached us to look at how can that flexibility happen.”