SAN DIEGO -- People using the Otay Mesa border crossing can expect longer than usual lines next month while new technology intended to help speed up traffic and reduce border wait times is being installed, a U.S. Customs spokesman said Wednesday.

Construction to install Radio Frequency Identification Technology (RFID) will begin Tuesday and is scheduled to be finished by Dec. 19, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokesman Vince Bond.

Special RFID antennas will be installed on all 13 lanes at the Otay Mesa crossing to detect documents travelers must present when entering the United States, Bond said.

RFID is a secure technology that captures a unique identifier, a randomly assigned number in a microchip embedded in the document just as the traveler approaches the border inspection station.

No personal data is contained or transmitted by the technology; a Customs and Border Protection officer screens information on a secured network, Bond said.

"It will speed up processing and that's a good thing. It will make for a more secure border," Bond said.

The RFID antennas are being installed across the northern and southern borders of the U.S. Installation at the San Ysidro border crossing is scheduled for the end of December into January, Bond said.

The technology is part of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, the congressional mandate requiring documents that indicate both citizenship and identity by June 1 which can be processed by customs officers at border crossings, Bond said.

Documents that will be accepted are: a U.S. passport; a "passport card" the size of a driver's license; or a SENTRI card for people who cross the border frequently, Bond said.

Bond urged travelers to get border traffic conditions during the Otay Mesa construction by calling a pre-recorded telephone message that is updated hourly, (619) 671-8999; or by visiting the Web site here.