CBP’s plan to upgrade rail cargo scanners at border also should benefit Whatcom drivers
The Blaine rail border crossing is one of 12 nationwide expected to receive an upgrade to scanning equipment that U.S. Customs and Border Protection said will increase scanning efficiency and security.
More importantly for Whatcom County drivers, the CBP estimates inbound trains from Canada will be able to travel more than twice as fast as they currently are allowed while having their cargo scanned, hopefully reducing the amount of time traffic will be delayed by trains during the scanning process.
CBP announced the $46 million initiative in a press release Wednesday, May 12, saying that it will begin replacing aging rail scanning systems at the 12 ports of entry with high energy rail scanners this fall.
The new scanners, according to the release, will use linear accelerators to generate X-rays from electricity, rather than using radioactive isotopes. The results are expected to produce high-quality images faster and allow for more secure cargo inspections.
“Non-intrusive inspection technology is a force multiplier that allows CBP officers to safely and more efficiently process U.S.-bound cargo,” CBP Office of Field Operations Executive Assistant Commissioner William A. Ferrara said in the release. “The high-quality images produced by the new rail cargo scanners will enhance CBP’s efforts to interdict stowaways, deadly narcotics, and other contraband while facilitating the flow of lawful trade.”
During Fiscal Year 2020, CBP reports 6.4 million non-intrusive inspections at U.S. ports of entry led to the discovery of more than 470,000 pounds of narcotics and $11.54 million in undeclared currency.
Plans are to begin installing and testing the new scanning equipment this fall, according to the release.
Once the scanners are operational, trains will be able travel up to 12 mph while they are scanned, CBP spokesperson Nate Peeters told The Bellingham Herald in an email. The current scanning systems only allows trains to travel at 5 mph, Peeters wrote.
That should be good news for drivers who have found themselves repeatedly stuck in heavy traffic at a major intersection as freight trains crawl south from Canada. Since the old scanner was installed in 2003, delays have been a frequent nightmare for drivers at Peace Portal Drive, which parallels the railroad tracks, and Bell Road south of Blaine.
“How many times have we had to call work to tell them we’re stuck at a train and we’d be late?” asked Lacie Sethney of Birch Bay, tagging her husband Justin Sethney in response to a social media inquiry from The Bellingham Herald in 2018. “And then never knowing how long the train would be, or if it was slowing down, if it would just go slow or actually stop?”
Peace Portal Drive and Bell Road are both one lane in each direction, so traffic backs up with any northbound driver waiting to turn left at Bell Road. Southbound Peace Portal backs up for drivers turning on Bell Road, and Bell Road backs up both north and south of the tracks.
Residents said they sometimes wait 30 minutes on the way to jobs, school and appointments.
About seven freight trains and four Amtrak passenger trains pass through Whatcom County daily, BNSF Railway reported in 2018, though the railway said northbound trains, which obviously do not need to be scanned by CBP, can pass through the area at approximately 35 mph.
According to the release, the new scanners will generate X-rays only when trains are present, and shield walls, fencing and signage will be installed at project sites to ensure community safety.
In addition to Blaine, the initiative will allow for scanners to be installed at rail border crossings in Brownsville, Texas; Buffalo, New York; Calexico, California; Eagle Pass, Texas; El Paso, Texas (both BNSF Railway and Union Pacific Railroad crossings); International Falls/Rainer, Minnesota; Nogales, Arizona; Portal, North Dakota; and Rouses Point, New York. The 12 crossings combine to process approximately 60% of all rail cargo imported into the U.S., CBP reported.
