U.S. planning to spend more than $200 million to improve 3 Whatcom border crossings

The federal government is planning to spend more than $200 million to expand and improve three Whatcom County border crossings.

The U.S. General Services Administration announced in a news release Friday that the funding will go toward the Pacific Highway Truck Crossing in Blaine as well as the Lynden and Sumas crossings. The funding is coming from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act that passed in Congress and was signed by President Joe Biden in November.

Work at the Pacific Highway truck border crossing in Blaine would include adding four vehicle entry lanes, for a total of 10 primary inspection lanes. A new canopy and expanded bays for secondary inspections are also planned. Lynden’s expansion would include adding two passenger car lanes and three commercial inspection lanes, while Sumas would get one more passenger and two commercial inspection lanes.

Planning is expected to begin in the next several months, but with so many infrastructure projects across the U.S. there are no firm deadlines on specific projects yet, said Andra Higgs, public affairs officer at the GSA, in an email. Higgs said the overall goal is to have all the construction projects in the infrastructure bill completed by September 2029.

Higgs expects the Pacific Highway improvements to happen first, because much of the work can be done in existing boundaries. The plans for the Lynden and Sumas crossings are still in the early stages, so Higgs said GSA will seek input from the local communities and others before moving forward.

One goal in expanding these border crossing is to significantly reduce wait times for both commercial and noncommercial traffic. Faster screening times for vehicles reduce overall greenhouse gas emissions due to decreased idling time. The project will also allow U.S. Customs and Border Protection to more effectively use technology to identify high-risk activity and shipments, combat drug trafficking and increase operational security, according to the news release.

Laurie Trautman, director at the Border Policy Research Institute at Western Washington University, said it will be interesting to see what new technology will be put into these project. She noted that Canada is also working on plans to expand/improve the Pacific Highway crossing on its side of the border.

Given the funding being set aside for these three projects, the expectation is that it will lead to significant improvements.

“It is great to see the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law continue to fund major projects which will strengthen our supply chains, create good paying jobs, and help speed up the flow of goods coming in and out of Washington state,” said Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., in the news release. “This isn’t just good for our state’s economy – it’s also a win for the families, workers, and local businesses who rely on our land ports.”

Gov. Jay Inslee said the funding will help Whatcom County, which he said has been hit hard by pandemic-related economic disruptions.

“These investments support our long-term trade needs, will help strengthen Washington state’s supply chain, and benefit businesses,” Inslee said.