FALFURRIAS – A new checkpoint is being constructed in Brooks County.

Border Patrol said the current checkpoint is the busiest in the nation when it comes to apprehensions of people attempting to enter the country illegally and drugs.

The checkpoint will be expanded to include four commercial traffic lanes and four non-commercial lanes. There will also be more non-intrusive detection technology and more kennel space for canine agents.

Construction shouldn’t hinder traffic on 281 at any point, since the construction is mostly happening beside the existing road.

Border Patrol said the expansion is necessary to keep up with the increasing traffic north as the Rio Grande Valley continues to grow.

“We’re going to have very limited detention space here. What it will do is allow us to process people and things a lot quicker than we normally do. And there’s going to be some technology upgrades within the interior of the facility,” Raul Ortiz, with Border Patrol, said.

Authorities said the project has been in the words for several years. The land that the expansion is being built on was donated to the government from Brooks County ranchers.

Authorities hope the new facility will be up and running sometime next year.