Fewer people driving from eastern Ontario to the U.S. heading into the summer, data shows

The Ogdensburg-Prescott International Bridge. (Nate Vandermeer/CTV News Ottawa)

There were approximately 26,000 fewer cross-border trips from eastern Ontario into New York State in June, as the number of people driving across the border dropped for a fifth straight month.

Newly released statistics from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection show there were 147,000 conveyances at the U.S. border locations at Alexandria Bay, Ogdensburg and Massena in June, down from 173,000 trips in June 2024.

There were 137,000 conveyances at the three border crossings in western New York in May, down from 166,000 in 2024.

The statistics from U.S. Customs and Border Protection show there were 261,000 travellers crossing from eastern Ontario into western New York at the three border crossings in June, down from 325,000 travellers in 2024.

The Thousand Islands Bridge continued to see the biggest drop in cross-border trips, with 53,9000 conveyances from Lansdowne, Ont. to Alexandria Bay, N.Y. in June, down from 68,900 in June 2024. Statistics show there were 40,000 fewer people travelling across the border at Alexandria Bay last month.

There were 18,600 trips across the Ogdensburg-Prescott International Bridge to Ogdensburg, N.Y. in June, down from 25,500 in June 2024.

The U.S.-Canada land border crossing from Cornwall and Akwesasne to Massena, N.Y. continues to be the busiest border crossing in eastern Ontario. There were 74,500 conveyances at the U.S. entry at Massena in June, down from 78,200 in June 2024.

There were fewer trips across the Canada-U.S. border from eastern Ontario to New York State in February, March, April, May and June compared to the same month in 2024. In January, there were 129,000 trips across the border to New York State, up from 126,000 trips in January 2024.

Last week, Statistics Canada reported the number of Canadian-plated vehicles entering Canada from the U.S. at the three border crossings in eastern Ontario dropped nearly 25 per cent year-over-year in June. A total of 66,767 Canadian-plated vehicles crossed at the ports of entry in Cornwall, Lansdowne, and Prescott last month, down from 88,725 in June 2024—a 24.7 per cent decline.

A total of 55,037 American-plated vehicles crossed the border at Cornwall, Lansdowne, and Prescott last month, down 486 vehicles from June 2024.

With files from CTV News Ottawa’s Ted Raymond