Commercial traffic crossing the Niagara River between western New York and southern Ontario, Canada, hit an all-time high in 1998, reports Business First.

Nearly 2.27 million trucks crossed the border in 1998, up 4.8% from 1997. Analysts say free trade, good economies in both countries and a low Canadian dollar are the reasons for the traffic.
Customs is using electronic processing to help speed the greater number of trucks across the border. A Canadian vehicle processing center is scheduled to open Aug. 1 at the Peace Bridge in Fort Erie, Ontario, to help increase border efficiency. A twin span for the Peace Bridge is scheduled to be built by 2002.