He said it would permit pre-clearance of cargo bound for Mexico and for U.S. customs inspection of cargo imported from Mexico. He said he expects Mexico to approve the idea sometime after work on the terminal begins.

“All we need now is to show the Mexican government we have the location ongoing,” he said.

He said U.S. homeland security officials also have to sign off on the dual-customs plan.

He said the terminal isn’t aimed just at increasing Mexican trade but at international trade in general.

Nicolopulos said his company decided to switch to a rehab project after the original plan was approved.

“It would be very difficult to demolish and very dangerous,” he said, referring to the main manufacturing building. “That building had been built like a fortress.”

He said the project had been delayed partly because of the pace of state approval of the cleanup process at the 61-acre site, on the north end of Lambert off Banshee Road.

Nicolopulos said he expects about 700 jobs to be created once the first phase is completed.