BLAINE, Wash. — A high volume of trucks approaching the US-Canada border Blaine Truck Crossing on Pacific Highway (SR543) created a backup that stretched over 2.5 miles and onto the northbound lanes of I-5.
About 5:40pm today, January 19th, Blaine Police warned motorists, “The Pacific Hwy (SR 543) is backed up from the Canadian border to the I-5 Freeway. The northbound traffic on I-5 is blocking the right lane to at least MP 273. Please use caution in the area and plan an alternate route.”
No information has been provided to explain the backup which was not occurring at the nearby Sumas and Lynden border crossings.
The last time there was a similar back up it was due to a Canada Border Services Agency work slowdown, but there are no current labor disputes.
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Click for more informationThere are new government mandates on truck drivers going in and out of Canada though. Canada and the United States recently announced closing their land borders to commercial truckers who are not vaccinated.
Canada truckers have been protesting this new mandate with blockades on the Canadian side of the border.
As of 6pm, the backup extended south of Dakota Creek in the northbound lanes of I-5.
About 10:20pm, Blaine Police said, “The backup is now north of H St on the Pacific Highway and no longer affecting traffic. We are not aware of the reason for the backup.”
Go truckers go! 100% support!
I see this happening pretty regularly (once a week? Twice a month?), but usually it doesn’t back up quite this far… not past Hughes Ave overpass in my observations.