Plan ahead, or you’re going to have to hold it during holiday traffic at the border
If you’re traveling to or from Canada this holiday weekend — particularly on Monday — make sure you plan ahead. If you don’t you’re just going to have to hold it.
According to a Washington State Department of Transportation press release, the northbound and southbound Custer Rest Areas will be closed from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday to allow the company that supplies water to the areas to test its water. According to the release, Monday was chosen because the outage also affects area schools, which will be closed for the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday.
That means northbound travelers will probably want to stop in Ferndale or earlier before taking their place in lines to cross into Canada, and there won’t be a pit stop seven miles south of the border for southbound travelers after waiting to cross into the U.S. at the Blaine crossings.
Most U.S. Customs and Border Protection employees still are required to work during the federal government’s partial shutdown, according to a story published Jan. 3 by HomelandSecurityToday.us, but public information officers are not available during the shutdown to discuss any potential slowdowns or backups at the border from increased holiday traffic.
WSDOT posts updated wait times at the border for northbound traffic on its website, while the U.S. Customs and Border Protection site has wait times for southbound traffic.
Among the tips the Canadian Border Services Agency offered to prepare for the Thanksgiving holiday that can still be helpful this weekend were checking the border wait times to chose the best route, having travel documents ready, leaving the marijuana at home and using NEXUS if possible.
