$19 million in upgrades have been completed at the Emerson port of entry. (CBSA / HANDOUT)
A larger warehouse for commercial truck examinations is part of the additions at the Emerson port. (CBSA / HANDOUT)
An expanded border at the Emerson port of entry south of Winnipeg will enable a smoother flow of both commercial and leisure traffic from the United States into Canada.
The $19 million expansion was officially opened Friday during a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the border.
The project, which began in May 2017, adds a new, larger warehouse to accommodate truck examinations, as well as renovations to an existing building to include a lobby area and handle bus examinations.
Three additional highway lanes were also built to allow for the installation of three bi-level primary inspection booths for more efficient processing of commercial traffic.
“The phased approach to the Emerson expansion project was completed through exhaustive planning efforts that ensured minimal disruption to processing traffic,” said Nina Patel, regional director general of the Prairie Region, Canada Border Services Agency.
“The improvements will help us deliver on our commitment to serving Canadians.”
Three additional lanes were built on Highway 75 north to accommodate the large volume of commercial truck traffic entering Manitoba from North Dakota. (CBSA / HANDOUT)
The construction marks the largest renovation at the Emerson port of entry since the late 1990s.
In 2017, CBSA officers at the Emerson port screened nearly 878,000 travellers in more than 271,000 cars and 208,000 commercial trucks. Emerson ranked 7th nationally in the number of trucks processed at a land border crossing.
