SAN DIEGO – The plan to a build a new border crossing east of the Otay Mesa Port of Entry now has a stamp of approval from President George W. Bush.

The proposed Otay Mesa East Port of Entry on Thursday received what is called a presidential permit, which was signed by Deputy Secretary of State John D. Negroponte.

The crossing would be built by the federal government and would be connected to state Route 905 by a 2.1-mile toll road that would be built by the California Department of Transportation.

Officials have said the entire cost of the project – about $800 million – would be covered through toll fees.

A third crossing would relieve traffic backups that occur at San Ysidro and Otay Mesa.

Caltrans officials will accept public comment on the project and its environmental impacts at a Dec. 4 hearing.

The hearing will be at Ocean View Hills Elementary School in Otay Mesa, 4919 Del Sol Blvd., from 5 to 7:30 p.m.

For more information, call Kelly Finn, Caltrans environmental branch chief, at (619) 688-0229, or Caltrans project manager Mark Baza at (619) 688-2545.