Work at Canadian Border Crossing to Begin Nov. 5

(Seattle Post-Intelligencer)

Major construction at the Peace Arch Canadian border crossing will begin Nov. 5 -- and bring major delays.

Officials said Thursday that the $70 million-plus project – to be completed by January 2010 – will completely rebuild the border station, increasing border security and expanding traffic capacity.

Work on southbound lanes will cut the number of inspection booths for people entering the United States by about 50 percent – with four remaining. Work on northbound lanes into Canada will be in January.

Vancouver is hosting the 2010 Winter Olympics Feb. 12-28.

The Blaine border crossings between Washington and British Columbia see the third-highest volume of passenger traffic and the fourth-highest volume of commercial trucks along the entire U.S.-Canadian border, according to the Washington Department of Transportation, which calculates that commercial traffic has increased 85 percent over the past 10 years.