The Washington State Department of Transportation will receive nearly $6.7 million in grant funding to improve traffic flow through the U.S./Canadian border with updated border wait time data.
Washington senators Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray announced funding to improve data and information systems for travelers. Four points of entry in Whatcom County will receive a new border wait time system that will provide real-time border conditions and predictive analytics tools.
In 2023, the Whatcom Council of Governments received a federal grant to pilot new systems for border wait times, and this funding will allow that work to expand. The funding comes from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
“The systems that provide travelers information about wait times at our northern border are over 20 years old and desperately need an upgrade,” Cantwell wrote in a statement.
The Peace Arch border crossing in Blaine is the third-most trafficked point of entry along the U.S.-Canadian border. Lawmakers hope the nearly $6.7 million in funding will avoid an entire month of snarled border traffic when the 2026 World Cup comes to Seattle and Vancouver, B.C. FIFA, soccer’s governing body, estimates roughly 750,000 people are expected to travel to the Pacific Northwest for the games.
Recently, Blaine traffic was brought to a standstill during the first weekend of December when Taylor Swift held the final three concerts of her “Eras” Tour in Vancouver. Multiple Whatcom County border checkpoints were backed up for hours as fans descended into Canada.
