Crossing the U.S-Canada border? This system will better estimate wait times
Travelers may soon have a more realistic idea of how long they’ll wait at Whatcom County’s four U.S.-Canada border crossings.
A $458,000 grant to the Whatcom Council of Governments will fund the planning phase of a cross-border project to replace the communications system that calculates wait times at the U.S.-Canada border.
U.S. Sens. Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray, Washington state’s two Democratic senators, called the system “antiquated” in announcing the grant, which is part of President Biden’s $1.2 trillion infrastructure measure, on Thursday, March 23.
“The current wait time communication system makes it incredibly burdensome on drivers to get across the border and to plan their trips,” Murray said in a statement.
That system often miscounts vehicles, and the fixed cameras can’t be moved when border authorities change how lanes are used, according to the statement.
“This federal grant will help replace that system with real-time, sensor-based technology that keeps drivers in the loop and allows them to choose their optimal border crossing times,” Cantwell said.
In planning the new system, the Whatcom Council of Governments will work with the Washington State Department of Transportation and the British Columbia Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure.
It will be used at the ports of entry at Peace Arch, Pacific Highway, Lynden and Sumas.
This story was originally published March 23, 2023 at 10:43 AM with the headline "Crossing the U.S-Canada border? This system will better estimate wait times."
