No. H069/05
For release April 15, 2005

NEW $2.6-MILLION EXTENSION OF FAST 
TRUCK LANE TO EASE BORDER CONGESTION

VANCOUVER — David L. Emerson, Minister of Industry and co-Senior Minister Responsible for British Columbia, on behalf of Transport Minister Jean-C. Lapierre, together with British Columbia Transportation Minister Kevin Falcon, today announced that a new extension of the Highway 15 NEXUS/FAST truck lane in Surrey will be built to ease congestion and enhance security at the Pacific Highway Border Crossing.

"More than a million commercial vehicles cross the border into the United States each year," said Minister Emerson. "Extending the NEXUS/FAST truck lane will help ease congestion and encourage more commercial vehicles to enrol in the program."

The construction of this $2.6-million project is expected to begin in the summer of 2005 and be completed the following spring. The Government of Canada will contribute $1.05 million while the Government of British Columbia will contribute $1.55 million to the project.

"This extension will benefit both the trucking industry, by reducing delays and queues for commercial vehicles, and the surrounding community, by reducing air pollution and noise levels," said Minister Lapierre.

The highway extension includes construction of a third southbound lane on Highway 15 that extends from just south of 4^th Avenue to 8^th Avenue. The extension of the NEXUS/FAST (Free and Secure Trade) truck lane will reduce traffic delays, resulting in increased overall trade opportunities and competitiveness of the British Columbia trucking industry.

"In the Lower Mainland, traffic congestion costs our economy as much as $1.5 billion a year," said Minister Falcon. "The Highway 15 extension will greatly improve traffic flow for commercial vehicles crossing the border, allowing products to get to their markets more efficiently."

The Pacific Highway crossing is the fourth busiest commercial vehicle crossing along the Canada/United States border. It handles 75 per cent of commercial traffic in the Lower Mainland.

As traffic delays and truck line-ups decrease at the border, air pollution and ambient noise levels will also decrease. The additional southbound lane will also improve access for security personnel and emergency vehicles in the event of a security incident, enhancing the overall security at the border.

The FAST program offers expedited clearance processes for eligible goods to pre-authorized importers, carriers, and drivers. The NEXUS program is designed to simplify border crossings for pre-approved, low-risk travellers. These clearance programs ease congestion, enhance security, and improve risk assessment by allowing border officials to focus their efforts on shipments of higher or unknown risk. NEXUS and FAST are joint Canada-United States initiatives involving the Canada Border Services Agency and the United States Customs and Border Protection.

Under the Canada/British Columbia Strategic Highway Infrastructure Program agreement, the Government of Canada and the Province of British Columbia are providing joint funding of $28.2 million until March 2006 for border improvement projects in the province. This agreement, signed March 5, 2002, is part of the national $600 million Strategic Highway Infrastructure Program announced in April 2001.

Funding for this program is built into the existing financial framework.

A backgrounder with further information on the Strategic Highway Infrastructure Program is attached.

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BACKGROUNDER

STRATEGIC HIGHWAY 
INFRASTRUCTURE PROGRAM – BRITISH COLUMBIA

The Government of Canada is committed to improving the economy and the quality of life for Canadians by investing in highway infrastructure across Canada. As part of this commitment, Transport Canada announced the Strategic Highway Infrastructure Program in April 2001. The program has two components: a $500 million highway construction component and a $100 million national system integration component.

The Government of Canada is working with the provinces and territories to identify those parts of the national highway system that — because of growing traffic and increasing trade — need immediate attention. This will result in a safer and more efficient highway system for all Canadians.

An allocation formula has been developed to distribute the $485 million available to the provinces and territories for road construction under the Strategic Highway Infrastructure Program. The formula consists of a minimum of $4 million per jurisdiction plus a share based on population and a 50-50 cost-sharing ratio. Under this formula, the total federal allocation for the Province of British Columbia is $61.2 million. British Columbia has also been allocated over $14 million under the Strategic Highway Infrastructure Program to improve border crossings. Under previous joint highway funding agreements since 1987, Transport Canada contributed $48 million to British Columbia. This brings the total funding in the province from Transport Canada to $123.2 million.

Before any project begins, an environmental assessment is undertaken that meets the requirements of the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act. Funding for projects is conditional on the results of the assessment and receipt of environmental approvals.

Under the second component of the Strategic Highway Infrastructure Program, the government provides $100 million nationally to fund initiatives that better integrate the transportation system. These include the deployment of Intelligent Transportation Systems across Canada, improvements to border crossings and better transportation planning. Intelligent Transportation Systems include applications such as advanced systems for traveller information, traffic management, public transport, commercial vehicle operations, emergency response management and vehicle safety.

The Strategic Highway Infrastructure Program continues the Government of Canada’s long tradition of highway funding that started more than 80 years ago. In fact, Transport Canada has invested more than $1.7 billion between 1993 and 2003 to improve highways across Canada. The federal government also invests in transportation-related infrastructure through other programs such as the Canada Strategic Infrastructure Fund and the Border Infrastructure Fund.

For more information on the Strategic Highway Infrastructure Program, please visit www.tc.gc.ca/SHIP/menu.htm.

For more information on the Canada Strategic Infrastructure Fund and the Border Infrastructure Fund, please visit www.infrastructurecanada.gc.ca.

April 2005