2021 Data Digest

Even in a pandemic, the Cascade Gateway remains a border system of national significance.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic prevented non-essential travel across the U.S. – Canada border on a national level, traffic volumes have predictably dropped by over 95 percent at most ports-of-entry.

It is interesting to note which ports have more “essential travel” than others. This chart shows the change in traffic at the top 10 volume ports-of-entry between 2019 and 2020. The Port of Champlain/Rouses Point, for example, seems to have more discretionary and/or seasonal travelers than some of the other larger land ports on the U.S. – Canada border.

And looking at truck volumes, all top commercial ports-of-entry saw slight reductions in volume with the exceptions of two in our region: Pt. Roberts truck volumes dropped 67 percent, and at Sumas/Abbotsford-Huntingdon, where there was no reduction at all.