Transportation Border Working Group
Border Infrastructure update
Ministère des Transports du Québec
October 27th
Québec
Québec and the Canada/U.S. Border
Québec has 32 international crossings:
 10 with New York State
 15 with Vermont
 6 with Maine
 1 with New Hampshire
Value of trade:
 Canada 65.2 G$ CA (2006)
 United States: 58.7 G$ CA (2009)
2009:
6 millions vehicles (both directions)
including 1.25 millions trucks (20.5%)
60% of all traffic and 80% of commercial traffic used 4
main border crossings:




Lacolle (A-15) / Champlain (I-87)
St-Armand (A-35) / Highgates Springs (I-91)
Stanstead (A-55) / Derby Line (I-91)
Armstrong (Rte 173) / Jackman (Rd 201)
Sources:
Statistiques Canada
U.S. Department of Commerce
Enquête nationale sur le camionnage 2006-2007
Year 2006 Québec – U.S. daily truck volumes at international borders
ources:
ansport Canada National Roadside Survey
ansport Canada – National Multi-Modal Commodity Flow Forecasts – Global Insight
ompiled by Rob Tardif – Ministry Transportation Ontario
Additional daily truck volumes at Québec border crossings
n Year 2026, Québec’s
nternational border crossings
will be required to process an
dditional 1,320 trucks per day.
Lacolle
930
Other
180
St Armand
390
Rock Island
215
ources:
ansport Canada National Roadside Survey
ansport Canada – National Multi-Modal Commodity Flow Forecasts – Global Insight
ompiled by Rob Tardif – Ministry Transportation Ontario
Relative importance of trucking: major mode to support Québec – US trade
•
65% of the value of goods exchanged between Québec and the US is carried by
trucks
•
This proportion grow up to 75% when considering only northeastern states
•
Between 1990 and 2003 trucking had a 122% increase in terms of tonnage
carried (more than any other mode)
•
Trucking is the best adapted mode to current supply chains and business needs
Ministère des Transports Policy on Road Freight Transport 2009-2014
Line of intervention 3.3:
• Make it easier to use road transport in
a context of increased security
measures

Create infrastructures suitable to
maintaining flow at the border
 Harmonized with custom facilities
 Suppportive of trusted travellers’s
programs

Maintain partnerships and cooperation efforts with stakeholders
affected by security issues
 Neighbouring jurisdictions
 Customs agencies
 Regional coalitions
MTQ’s interests and challenges at the border
•
Interests:




•
Road safety
Fluidity of goods and people at the border
Contribute to maintain security
Support to economic growth
Challenges




Balance between fluidity and security at the border: respect of each
stakeholder’s responsibilities
Cooperation with U.S. states and federal border agencies
Use of new technologies (ITS)
Information and consultation of the trucking industry and the trade
community
Concept:
•Separation of truck traffic and passenger traffic:
Benefits:
•Road safety increased
•Fluidity improved
•Reduction of Green house gases and air pollutants emissions
•Customs operations facilitated
•Well accepted from the trucking industry
Armstrong Rte 173
•
Main border crossing with Maine linking the eastern part of Québec with I-95

2009: 190 000 vehicles (both directions) including 65 000 trucks (34.2%)
•
Extention of Highway 73 until St-Georges de Beauce (230 M$ CA investments*)
•
Construction of a second lane southbound exclusively reserved for trucks on the
last 1.2 km of rte 173
ransports Canada: 40 M$ CA contribution via SHIP and BIF
ograms
Stanstead A-55
•
Major link between Québec and Vermont linking the Eastern Townships
region with I-91

2009: 630 000 vehicles (both directions) including 80 000 trucks
(12.7%)
•
Construction of a third lane southbound, separated by islands and road
marking reserved for trucks
•
Installation of an ITS system allowing to switch lane use (personal
vehicles vs trucks) depending on traffic demand
•
Investment: 15 M $CA*
Transports Canada: 50% contribution via BIF program
Stanstead A-55
St-Armand A-35 / rte 133
•
Links Montréal to Burlington and Boston
•
Extension of A-35 between St-Jean-sur-Richelieu and the Canada U.S. Border
(38.9km) Construction expected to end in 2014

2009: 980 000 vehicles (both directions) including 200 000 trucks (20.4%)
•
Challenge: limited space (Duty Free Shop, CBSA building): addition of a third lane
southbound for trucks
•
Budget: 400 M$ CA
ansports Canada: 58 M$ CA contribution via SHIP and BIF programs
Schedule:
•2007: minor improvement near
CBSA facility to improve road safety
and circulation near the border
(signage, road marking, islands, etc)
•2013: First 24 km (segments 1 & 2)
•2016: Last 14 km (segments 3 & 4)
Local and regional realities
Planning road infrastructure projects at the border is subject to different challenges in
each province and state
Lewiston/Queenston Bridge, NYS / Ont
CBSA facility, Glenn Sutton, Qc
Local and regional realities:
• Quebec cannot ignore infrastructure improvements
being completed in other provinces:
 Up to 35% of truck trips between Quebec and the
United States crosses in Ontario:
 Ambassador Bridge
 Peace Bridge (Fort Erie)
 Thousand Islands Bridge
• Highlight the relevance to be involved in multilateral
coalitions dealing with border issues
2026 Ontario-Québec daily truck trips
ources:
ansports Canada National Roadside Survey
ansports Canada – National Multi-Modal Commodity Flow Forecasts – Global Insight
Conclusions
•
Increase of security measures will remain permanent
•
Common need for reliable data to support decision making,
including forecasts
•
Transportation infrastructure challenges at the border are very
different from one province and state to the other
•
Planning infrastructure projects at the border requires particular
coordination and is subject to specific regulation (commitments,
approval, agreements, etc)
•
5-10 years is a relatively « short term horizon » in terms of
transportation infrastructure projects at the border
Conclusions (2)
•
Contrary to usual expectations, provincial ministries of
transportation deal mainly with US customs agencies and state
Departments of transportation (DOTs) deal with Canada
customs agencies
•
Partnerships and cooperation between MOT/DOT and border
agencies has to be continuous
•
Road infrastructure alone cannot solve congestion issues,
clearance processes at the border is the needed complement to
ensure traffic fluidity
•
The use of the same concept to manage traffic at the border
facilitate reaching our objectives of road safety and fluidity
Thank you!
Dave Henry
Ministère des Transports du Québec
Direction du transport routier des marchandises
(418) 644-4719 ext 2351
davehenry@mtq.gouv.qc.ca