Date:
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Contact:
Dustin Terpening, WSDOT Communications, 360-757-5997 (Burlington)
Chris Damitio, Project Engineer, 360-788-7403 (Bellingham)
BLAINE – New designated truck lanes will help improve freight mobility and relieve congestion on State Route 543, the nation’s fourth busiest commercial crossing on the U.S.-Canada border. The relief comes approximately six months early for more than 700,000 trucks that use the crossing every year.
The two lanes north of D Street open Monday, Nov. 19, and they will separate commercial vehicles from passenger vehicles, align them with their border inspection booths, and provide more storage room as they wait to cross the border.
To see a visual of the final highway design and the new truck lanes, visit the project Web page at www.wsdot.wa.gov/projects/sr543/i5_canadian/diagram.
Most importantly, the new lanes open the door for the Free and Secure Trade (FAST) program. FAST functions similarly to NEXUS (for passenger vehicles) by dedicating one lane to pre-approved truck drivers, carriers and importers so they can skip long lines and quickly cross the border.
WSDOT and the Canada Border Services Agency expect to have the northbound FAST lane open and operating in December.
Following the truck lanes opening, crews will open the new D Street overpass Wednesday, Nov. 21. D Street has been closed for more than a year while crews built the overpass. The new overpass will relieve congestion and reconnect the community of Blaine.
WSDOT dropped the highway 25 feet to pass under D Street and separate highway drivers from city street drivers.
The D Street on- and off-ramps will remain closed even after the D Street overpass opens. Crews expect to finish and open the ramps within the next few months.
Currently, only one north- and southbound lane are open. Crews plan to have both southbound and all three northbound lanes open before the end of the month. When all northbound lanes open, the designated commercial vehicle lane will extend from the border to H Street.
Crews have transformed SR 543 from a narrow and congested two-lane road into a wider, safer five-lane highway. The 2003 Legislature advanced funding to complete this project prior to the 2010 Winter Olympics in British Columbia. For more project details, visit www.wsdot.wa.gov/projects/sr543/i5_canadian.
< Back to News Home