Slow progress at joint U.S.-Canada border crossing station near Coutts

COUTTS, Alta. (Nov. 26, 2001) — Carriers who use the Coutts, Alta.-Sweetgrass, Mont., border crossing can expect more delays over the next year as a new joint U.S.-Canadian port is built.

Ross Lyle, assistant port director of the U.S. Customs Service, told a group of Alberta Motor Transport Association members at their annual conference last month to expect delays as construction coincides with the heightened security as a result of Sept. 11.

Most of the facility, including joint-use rooms, will be built on the U.S. side. Even inside the building, “We can’t go into Canada with our guns,” Lyle said.

The AMTA recently met with U.S. Customs officials to work out some potential issues with the new facility’s blueprint: So far there is only a 16.8-foot clearance for the walkway and canopies, therefore loads larger than that will still have to use the bypass road to the east. The brokers are all located in Coutts, which will be a hike for the drivers. The northbound parking lot will hold 33 trucks and trailers, which will not be enough on Mondays and Fridays. The southbound parking lot will hold 20 trucks and trailers and is said to be poorly designed.

To keep the flow of trucks moving, Lyle recommends a greater emphasis on pre-release systems. “Things like line release and PAPS are going to be more important for everybody, because we don’t have many places to park the trucks for the next year or so,” Lyle said.