December 7, 2022
Paving project to better support port operations, increase sustainability
SAN DIEGO, Calif. — The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) announced its selection of OCS Construction Services, a small disadvantaged business and certified 8(a) contractor based in Riverside, California, to provide design-build services for a low-embodied carbon concrete project at the Otay Mesa Land Port of Entry (LPOE) in California. The approximately $1.8 million contract was funded through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL). This is the first LPOE project to use GSA’s new low-embodied-carbon concrete standard issued earlier this year.
The Otay Mesa LPOE is the busiest commercial port in California and serves as an alternative to the San Ysidro LPOE for travelers. The asphalt covering the port queueing area suffers from cracks, potholes and erosion from the thousands of vehicles that cross each day. The concrete paving project would address those deficiencies and use GSA’s new low-embodied carbon concrete standard. In contrast to the previous asphalt paving at the port, the low-embodied carbon concrete is comparatively more resilient to damage and erosion, and requires less frequent maintenance and replacement.
“This project is another example of the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to investing in American infrastructure in ways that create good-paying jobs, strengthen safety and security, and address the challenge of climate change,” said GSA Administrator Robin Carnahan. “Using domestic, lower-carbon construction materials is a triple win – creating good-paying American jobs, reducing energy costs, and tackling climate change to ensure a healthy planet for the next generation.”
“GSA looks to utilize our BIL projects as opportunities for local, small businesses to contribute their skills and ingenuity,” said Dan Brown, Regional Commissioner for the GSA Public Buildings Service in the Pacific Rim Region. “At Otay Mesa, we look forward to improving conditions for the traveling public while actively protecting the environment and helping the nation move towards more sustainable construction materials. This funding provided GSA with the opportunity to make an important contract award and continue our work improving this binational transportation infrastructure to better support the federal inspection agencies’ mission, while lessening the impact on the environment.”
The construction work is expected to begin Spring 2023. Over the course of the project, the project team will need to close up to two lanes at a time to demolish and remove the existing asphalt, divert at least 50% of total non-hazardous construction and demolition waste materials, reinstall or fix underground utilities, and pour the new low-embodied carbon concrete. The paving will be installed in phases, closing a maximum of two northbound vehicle inspection lanes and booths at any time, leaving at least 11 inspection lanes available for vehicle inspection operations.
In March, as part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s Buy Clean Initiative, GSA issued new standards for the concrete and asphalt used in nationwide GSA construction, modernization, and paving projects – the first standards in the U.S. to apply beyond a local jurisdiction.
GSA is responsible for constructing and maintaining LPOEs along the nation’s borders in partnership with and support of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security – Customs and Border Protection and other federal inspection agencies. Through the BIL, GSA is modernizing LPOEs along the Canadian and Mexican borders. These upgrades will strengthen supply chains, create good-paying jobs, enhance safety and security, and provide sustainable solutions to keep these ports operating efficiently and effectively for years to come.
Learn more about this and all other projects at the Otay Mesa Land Port of Entry at www.gsa.gov/otaymesa.
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About GSA: GSA provides centralized procurement and shared services for the federal government, managing a nationwide real estate portfolio of nearly 370 million rentable square feet, overseeing approximately $75 billion in annual contracts, and delivering technology services that serve millions of people across dozens of federal agencies. GSA’s mission is to deliver the best customer experience and value in real estate, acquisition, and technology services to the government and the American people. For more information, visit GSA.gov and follow us at @USGSA.
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