Canadian and U.S. officials have pledged to upgrade the New York/Quebec border crossing,
the fifth-busiest along the border, linking I-87 to Quebec's Highway 15. The Quebec government plans to spend $47.7 million on improvements on its side in a four-year project.
Quebec's efforts coincide with U.S. plans to upgrade its side of the border. In March, the General Services Administration recommended spending more than $35 million to add a fourth commercial truck land and create a truck staging area that can accommodate up to 250 tractor-trailers.
Quebec has promised to pay for road improvements, including roads leading into the new U.S. facility, as well as new signs and more police patrols between the border and Montreal.
Truck traffic coming in to the United States has grown by a third since the North American Free Trade Agreement took effect in 1994. Because the U.S. border facility has not been upgraded since it opened in 1973, traffic has been known to back up six miles or more. Increased security since the Sept. 11 attacks has not helped matters any.