Freight Border Activities

Below are sources of information pertaining to freight issues in regard to border activity in North America.

Border Station Partnership Council - BSPC This partnership was formed by the U.S. Department of Transportation, U.S. General Services Administration, U.S. Customs, and the INS to model land ports of entry facilities. The following paragraphs outline some BSPC activities:

~ Border Wizard Border-crossing simulation-modeling tool intended to simulate all federal inspection activities at any land port of entry and ascertain infrastructural, operational, and security needs. Model results/output is in a graphical animated form of activity at any border station. The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) estimates that the use of Border Wizard at ten ports of entry has saved the government between $5 million to $10 million in capital investments in 2002.

~ INS Entry/Exit Steering Committee (Consists of two working groups): Canada-U.S. Transportation Border Working Group (TWBG) The TBWG was formed to enhance coordination of border transportation issues and bi-national transportation planning mechanisms. Partner membership includes; U.S. Border Station Partnership Council, U.S. INS, U.S. Customs, Canada Customs & Revenue Agency (CCRA), Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), and the Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT). U.S.-Mexico Joint Working Committee on Transportation Planning (JWC) The mission of the JWC is to coordinate bi-national planning and planning studies emphasizing; innovative financing mechanisms, GIS development, coordinated Point-of-Entry/Exit (POE), master planning, and infrastructure management.

REGIONAL FREIGHT PROJECTS:
Whatcom Council of Governments - IMTC The International Mobility and Trade Corridor Project (IMTC): A U.S.-Canadian partnership of business and government, formed to jointly identify and pursue improvements to cross-border mobility in the Cascade Gateway.
Caltrans/SANDAG - BINS Binational Border Transportation Infrastructure Needs Assessment Study (BINS). Border Transportation Botttleneck Study. SR-11 and East Otay Mesa Port of Entry Environmental Study.
Trans Texas Corridor A new large-scale (4,000 mile long X 1,200 foot wide) multi-use, statewide transportation corridor project consisting of: Roadways, Bi-directional passenger vehicle lanes, Bi-directional truck lanes, A rail component (comprised of bi-directional high-speed passenger rail, freight rail, & commuter rail), and a dedicated utility zone (water, electric, natural gas, petroleum, fiber optic, and telecommunications).
Note* Each of these projects (and others) were presented at the International Freight Data Forum (held on 7-8 April 2003, Washington, D.C.), and have corresponding Powerpoint presentations available for viewing.