Expect delays at Quebec border with U.S. due to significant lane closures

Vehicles approach the United States border crossing as seen from Saint-Bernard-de-Lacolle, Que., Thursday, April 10, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes

Travellers are being warned of possible delays at the U.S. land border as the federal border agency upgrades Quebec’s busiest port of entry.

A new phase of construction upgrades at the Saint-Bernard-de-Lacolle border crossing in southern Quebec started on Sept. 29, which includes the reduction of the number of primary inspection lanes dedicated to processing travellers from eight lanes to three.

Even Nexus card users are affected. Though they can still use the card to cross the border, the dedicated Nexus lane is temporarily closed.

The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) said in a news release this week that the work is being done “in the context of a 25 per cent decrease in volumes observed at this port of entry over the past months, compared to the same period in 2024.”

The CBSA said travellers should check their website for border wait times at major ports of entry to avoid lengthy delays.

The redevelopment of the Saint-Bernard-de-Lacolle border crossing, the main gateway between New York State and Montreal, is expected to be finished by winter 2027 with the opening of eight new travellers’ booths. Crews will also start renovations soon on the commercial booths, which will result in periodic lane closures.

The border agency said the renovations at the Saint-Bernard-de-Lacolle port of entry are part of the CBSA’s $100-million plan to reinforce land border crossings with the United States to meet safety, security, and new technology requirements and that some facilities built between 1951 and 2016 have reached the end of their lifecycles.

Two Quebec companies — Pomerleau Inc. and Provencher Roy + Associés Architectes Inc. — were awarded contracts to carry out the renovations at the Saint-Bernard-de-Lacolle border crossing, which sees more than two million travellers and more than 300,000 commercial vehicles pass through every year.