Border crossing efficiency between the U.S. and Canada has received a boost thanks to completion of a major construction project at the Queenston-Lewiston Bridge.
The Government of Canada, the Province of Ontario and the Niagara Falls Bridge Commission are all celebrating the completion of the $45-million Queenston-Lewiston Bridge -- the fourth busiest crossing between the U.S. and Canada with more than one million trucks crossing every year. Each partner contributed $15 million to the project.
After a 10-month construction period, the bridge now offers an additional lane of traffic primarily to commercial trucks enrolled in the bi-national Canada-U.S. Free and Secure Trade pre-screening program. In addition to the new lane on the bridge itself, new lanes on Highway 405 are now open for trucks traveling to the U.S.
“By giving trucks a dedicated lane to U.S. Customs, beginning well back from the bridge, safety will be improved, congestion reduced and crossing efficiency enhanced,” said Walt Lastewka, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Works and Government Services. “These improvements at the border will be of tremendous benefit to Canadian and American commerce, tourism and trade as this additional lane will reduce delays for commercial and consumer traffic while enhancing security at the Niagara border.”