Aldergrove-Lynden Border Crossing Assessment
The Aldergrove-Lynden port-of-entry is one of three cross-border truck routes between Lower Mainland British Columbia and Western Washington State. It is the 2nd busiest northbound truck crossing into British Columbia and the 13th busiest on the U.S.-Canada border.
This project will assess current and future trade and travel transportation demand at the Aldergrove-Lynden crossing, northbound and southbound, and identify resulting needs for infrastructure and operational changes. This assessment will be coordinated through the International Mobility and Trade Corridor Project (IMTC) to provide results that are useful to the multiple participating organizations on both sides of the border.
The IMTC project will evaluate the Aldergove-Lynden crossing as part of the regional cross-border system. Thus, Aldergrove-Lynden will be assessed in the context of the Cascade Gateway (all four crossings), trade and travel traffic, and the multiple transportation modes that serve this region (automobile, truck, bus, rail, marine, air, etc.).
Individual agencies can use these findings to advance specific actions that, because of this work, will be compatible with and responsive to regional needs.
About the Aldergrove-Lynden Port-of-Entry
Unlike Pacific Highway and Huntingdon-Sumas (the other two Cascade Gateway commercial ports that are open to trucks 24/7), Aldergrove-Lynden currently operates from 8AM to 12AM (16 hrs./day) for all commercial and passenger vehicles.
The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) facility does not have any truck-inspection infrastructure other than an approach lane and small parking area. It is an old facility, operationally deficient, and a project to replace it (traveler facilities only) is in the design process.
The United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) border station is a permit port meaning that carriers must successfully petition the Area Port Director for permission to enter goods here (empty trucks and informal entries may cross without the permit). CBP has both passenger inspection booths and a dedicated truck-inspection booth. CBP has no current, announced plans to replace or expand these facilities.
Scope of Work
This project will:
- Identify performance requirements of operators, users, and affected communities (CBSA, CBP, carriers (BCTA), shippers, BC MoT, WSDOT, & others)
- Identify needed roadway & inspection facility infrastructure & operations upgrades on both sides of the border to meet current requirements
- Undertake or consolidate research on economic projections, freight data (trade value & volume), border travel times, Cascade Gateway system interactions, and demonstrate how improvements to this crossing relate to other initiatives (e.g., Asia-Pacific Gateway strategy)
- Develop future road and port- specific performance requirements relative to forecast demand
- Complete an overall project report
Work began in October, 2008 and will continue through the first part of 2010. A report is hoped to be completed by March 31, which could be used by individual organizations to define near-term needs for infrastructure and operational changes related to commercial and passenger vehicle trip demand.
For More Information
Contact Hugh Conroy, Project Manager, at (360) 676-6974.