1 March 2004

Dedicated lane opens for border travellers

The following article is excerpted from the “Toronto Star” edition of 1 March 2004.

Frequent travellers between Canada and the U.S. will have a dedicated border crossing with the reopening today of the Whirlpool Rapids Bridge.

Canadian Border Services spokesperson Jean D'Amelio Swyer said the decision to reserve the bridge for Nexus program participants was made to speed up cross-border travel times.

It also allows customs officials to focus their energies on identifying potential high-risk travellers at regular crossings.

The Nexus program permits pre-approved drivers to bypass regular customs screening by flashing a special card at the border. …

Cardholders must pass security checks by Canadian and American officials in advance, and are interviewed, photographed and fingerprinted before they are issued their Nexus card.

Swyer said there are 57,000 individuals currently registered in the program across Canada….

"On average it takes about five or six seconds to process an individual using the Nexus lane."

Nexus lanes are available at eight border crossings throughout Canada, but the Whirlpool Rapids Bridge is the only crossing reserved exclusively for Nexus users.

The bridge had been closed since October for renovations to the plazas on both sides of the border to support the new technology.