Crossing back this weekend? San Ysidro waits hit nearly three hours last Saturday

Last Saturday afternoon, October 3, the northbound wait at San Ysidro reached 170 minutes in the general vehicle lanes and 130 minutes in Ready Lane, with Otay Mesa close to two hours, according to Tijuana en Línea’s roundup of CBP data. This Friday, October 9, the afternoon peak at San Ysidro was about 100 minutes in general lanes and 80 in Ready Lane.

Early Friday evening, CBP’s live feed showed roughly 95 minutes in San Ysidro’s general lanes and 20 for SENTRI, and about 90 minutes at Otay Mesa (30 for SENTRI). Pedestrian lines were far shorter, around 10 to 20 minutes. Waits change by the hour, so treat these numbers as a snapshot.

How to plan your return

• Check the live numbers before you leave. The bar at the top of tjgringo.com shows CBP’s latest waits for San Ysidro and Otay Mesa.
• Ready Lane is for travelers whose documents carry an RFID chip, such as a U.S. passport card, an enhanced driver’s license or a trusted-traveler card. SENTRI lanes are only for enrolled members.
• If you can, compare San Ysidro and Otay Mesa before you commit, and consider crossing on foot when vehicle lines are long.
• Keep water, a charged phone and your documents within reach. Once you are in the vehicle line, there are few places to stop.