New Nexus lane part of $17M Aldergrove border improvement

Canadian border guards are silhouetted as they replace each other at an inspection booth at the Douglas border crossing on the Canada-USA border in Surrey, B.C., on August 20, 2009. (Darryl Dyck / THE CANADIAN PRESS)

A new dedicated Nexus lane will be built at the Aldergrove border crossing as part of a $17.7-million federal government contract to improve the port of entry.

The upgrades, expected to be completed by early 2016, will feature two new commercial lanes and five new traveler lanes -- with the ability to expand to eight in the future.

The existing inspection building will be demolished to make way for a new inspection centre.

“Take a good look at the building behind you because in 18 months from here it will be gone,” Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Stephen Blane told reporters at a press conference Monday morning.

The Aldergrove crossing is the second-busiest border crossing in B.C. behind Surrey’s Pacific Truck Crossing.

Local politicians have been lobbying to expand and improve the aging Aldergrove crossing for years.

Blane says the improvement will improve travel and trade between the U.S. and Canada while cutting down on terrorist threats.