Busy California border crossing closed after scaffolding falls

SAN DIEGO -- Scaffolding collapsed on more than a dozen cars at the nation's busiest border crossing Wednesday, injuring at least 11 people and halting all traffic trying to enter from Mexico, authorities said.

A construction worker at the San Ysidro crossing between San Diego and Tijuana, Mexico, was in serious condition, said Maurice Luque, spokesman for the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department. The others were taken to hospitals with minor injuries, he said.

A section of scaffold installed to protect cars from overhead construction collapsed onto eight of the border crossing's 24 northbound vehicle lanes shortly before 11 a.m., officials said. It left a mangled mess of wooden planks, metal supports and black tarpaulin atop 15 vehicles that had just passed through inspection booths.

"There were several vehicles completely covered in debris," said Frank Jaramillo, the director of San Diego's two border crossings for U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Three people had to be extricated from cars, while the others walked away, Luque said.

The cause of the collapse was under investigation, and an investigator from the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration was at the scene.

All U.S.-bound vehicle lanes and additional lanes for U.S.-bound pedestrians were closed, and travelers were directed to Otay Mesa about five miles east, CBP officials said. Mexico-bound lanes remained open.

The General Services Administration, which owns the ports of entry, said officials were assessing the integrity of the remaining scaffold before deciding when San Ysidro would reopen.

Waiting times to enter the U.S. at Otay Mesa on Wednesday evening reached about 2 1/2 hours for motorists and two hours for pedestrians, nearly twice the normal delay, Jaramillo said.

Officials were taking several measures to alleviate traffic. Six cargo lanes at Otay Mesa would be open to passenger vehicles until 5 a.m. Thursday, and the Tecate port of entry, about 40 miles east, would remain open overnight instead of closing at 11 p.m., Jaramillo said.

About 50,000 vehicles and 25,000 pedestrians enter the United States each day at the San Ysidro crossing. Heightened border security after 9/11 has resulted in waits that can last hours during morning rush hour and other peak travel times.

The 30-year-old border crossing facility is undergoing a $577 million overhaul by Hensel Phelps Construction Co., based in Greeley, Colo.

Randy Barr, operations manager for the company, said that at the time the scaffolding collapsed, workers were removing plaster from the port of entry's administration building as they prepared to demolish it.

CBP initially said 17 travelers and construction workers were injured. Luque said the fire department examined 24 people at the scene, including 13 who were not injured.