The Cascade Gateway
The Cascade Gateway includes the third busiest passenger vehicle crossing along the U.S. - Canada border, and the fourth busiest commercial crossing. Over 19,000 cars and over 3,000 trucks cross through the Cascade Gateway every day, carrying over $55 million (USD) in trade. The Cascade Gateway is a prominent, international trade and travel connection.
Cascade Gateway Ports-of-Entry:
- Peace Arch/Douglas: Blaine, WA/Surrey, B.C. (Interstate 5 & B.C. Hwy 99)
- Pacific Highway: Blaine, WA/Surrey, B.C. (State Route 543 & B.C. Hwy 15)
- Lynden/Aldergrove: Lynden, WA/Aldergrove, B.C. (State Route 539 & B.C. Hwy 13)
- Sumas/Huntingdon: Sumas, WA/Abbotsford, B.C. (State Route 9 & B.C. Hwy 11)
Almost $17 billion (USD) in trade crossed the Cascade Gateway in 2006 by truck alone. An additional $3.5 billion of trade crossed the Cascade Gateway by rail. (Bureau of Transportation Statistics, U.S. Department of Transportation)
Approximately 40 percent of trucks crossing this gateway have a trip-end outside the border region, illustrating the importance of these facilities to both regional and national economies. (2006 Manifest Survey, Whatcom Council of Governments)
Regional population growth is disproportionately high. The Lower Mainland of British Columbia and Whatcom County, Washington are under increasing transportation demans of higher-than average population growth.(U.S. Census, Statistics Canada, WA State OFM, BC Stats)
Border congestion costs trucking companies an estimated $22 million (USD) every year at Pacific Highway alone. Wait-times due to border congestion add juge costs to commercial operations. An evaluation completed in 2003 estimates the annual cost of border waits will increase 145 percent, to $54 million annually, by 2013. (IMTC Pacific Highway Port-of-Entry Commercial Vehicle Operations Survey, WCOG, June 2007)
Commercial vehicle processing time at Pacific Highway has increased 110 percent since 2002. Despite improvements to the infrastructure and the FAST program, commercial vehicles now take 110 percent longer to get through the border from 2002. Pre-approved FAST trucks have 53 percent longer waits than in 2002 (before the FAST program).(IMTC Pacific Highway Port-of-Entry Commercial Vehicle Operations Survey, WCOG, June 2007)
Rail tonnage through the Cascade Gateway is forecasted to increase 63 percent in the next ten years. Reebie Associates estimates that rail freight traffic between Seattle, WA and Vancouver, B.C. will increase from 6.03 million tons in 2002 to between 9.33 and 9.84 million tons in 2012. Container movements on rail from the ports of Seattle, Tacoma, and Vancouver are estimated to increase 55 percent over the next ten years.(Cascade Gateway Rail Study, WCOG, Dec. 2002)
Passenger rail ridership is estimated to increase 164 percent between Seattle, WA and Vancouver, B.C., Forecasts of passenger rail ridership between Seattle and Vancouver estimated that the addition of the second round-trip train in 2008 will lead to an increase froom 137,000 passengers in 2002 to 362,000 in 2012.(Cascade Gateway Rail Study, WCOG, Dec. 2002)
IMTC Objectives
The goal of the IMTC project is to improve safety, mobility, and security for the Cascade Gateway. To this end, the following objectives have been identified:
1) Improve planning and data collection efforts.
- Improve travel information and data.
- Promote development and management of the Cascade Gateway as a system.
- Determine the feasibility of rail, transit, and marine options.
- Monitor work completed by regional and national-level planning initiatives (TBWG, West Coast Corridor Coalition)
- Monitor the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative issue.
2) Promote infrastructure improvements.
- Improve border crossing approach roads.
- Improve rail crossings and connections.
- Improve corridor connections of trade and travel routes.
- Integrate Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS).
3) Promote improvements to operations, policy, and staffing at the border.
- Promote cooperation and improvements in accordance with the goals of federal initiatives, including the Security & Prosperity Partnership and the U.S. - Canada Smart Border Declaration.
- Increase resources and staffing levels at border inspection facilities.
- Improve traffi c management at all four Cascade Gateway ports-of -entry.
- Ensure ongoing sustainability of the NEXUS and FAST programs.
- Encourage institutional collaboration and integration of information systems to improve risk management and increase cross-border security.
- Promote harmonization and consolidated administration of regional pre-approved travel programs including commercial travel.
- Explore options for binational financing structures for future cross-border improvements.
- Pursue shared, U.S.–Canadian border inspection facilities including the creation of accord processing zones.
- Consider off-border inspection functions.
- Promote the adoption of pre-clearance for passenger rail under Canada’s 1999 Pre-Clearance Act.
- Pursue IMTC objectives with specific attention to improvements that will support efficient and predictable international travel to and from the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in British Columbia.
Participation
IMTC participants contribute to the forum in three different groups:
Steering Committee - There are approximately 30 agencies represented on the Steering Committee, which meets monthly and makes suggestions to the Core Group.
Core Group - Including the Steering Committee, over 60 agencies and organizations participate in the Core Group, which meets quarterly and is the decision-making body of IMTC.
General Assembly - In addition to the Core Group, the General Assembly is a broad constituency of border stakeholders - businesses, organizations, and agencies that depend on an efficient, productive, and safe cross-border system. Over 200 mostly private-sector participants comprise the General Assembly, which meets annually to provide feedback and gain information on evolving border policies and operations.
Participating Agencies and Organizations:
Transportation Agencies
- B.C. Ministry of Transportation
- Greater Vancouver Transportation Authority (TransLink)
- Transport Canada
- U.S. Department of Transportation - Office of the Secretary
- U.S. Federal Highway Administration
- U.S. Federal Transit Administration
- WA State Department of Transportation
- Whatcom Transportation Authority
Inspection Agencies
- Canada Border Services Agency
- U.S. Customs & Border Protection
Border Municipalities
- Bellingham City Council
- City of Abbotsford, B.C.
- City of Bellingham, WA
- City of Blaine, WA
- City of Ferndale, WA
- City of Lynden, WA
- City of Nooksack, WA
- City of Sumas, WA
- City of Surrey, B.C.
- City of White Rock, B.C
- Greater Vancouver Gateway Council (Metro Vancouver)
- Township of Langley, B.C.
- Whatcom County, WA
Other Governmental Agencies
- Canadian Member of Parliament - Russ Heibert
- Consulate General of Canada
- Freight Mobility Strategic Investment Board
- Port of Bellingham
- U.S. Consulate, Vancouver
- U.S. General Services Administration
- U.S. Representative Rick Larsen
- U.S. Representative Dave Reichart
- U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell
- U.S. Senator Patty Murray
- WA State Community, Trade, & Economic Development
- WA State Governor's Executive Policy Office
- WA State 42nd District Legislators
- Whatcom Council of Governments
Non-Government Organizations
- B.C. Chamber of Commerce
- Bellingham/Whatcom Chamber of Commerce
- Better Borders Northwest
- Border Policy Research Institute (Western Washington University)
- Bureau of ITS and Freight Security (University of British Columbia)
- Cascadia Center/Discovery Institute
- Cloverdale District Chamber of Commerce
- Lynden Chamber of Commerce
- Pacific Corridor Enterprise Council
- Pacific NorthWest Economic Region
- TransNOW
- Vancouver Port Authority
- White Rock - South Surrey Chamber of Commerce
Private Industry
- A&A Contract Customs Brokers
- Airporter Shuttle/Bellair Charters
- Amtrak
- B.C. Trucking Association
- Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway
- Chang & Boos
- Tourism Vancouver
- UPS Freight Services
- Vancouver Board of Trade
- Vancouver International Airport Authority
- Vancouver Olympics Organizing Committee (VANOC)
- West Coast Duty Free
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