Page 9 - Flathead Beacon // 6.25.14

FLATHEADBEACON.COM NEWS JUNE 25, 2014 | 9 Traffic at Roosville Border Station
Prompts Visitor Concerns
increasing economic
STABILITY
Three Rivers Bank understands the economic stability of the Flathead depends on the growth and development of small businesses.
www.ThreeRiversBankMontana.com
Eureka lawmaker says long wait times at U.S.-Canadian border are harming economy, visitation
By DILLON TABISH of the Beacon
On a rainy Monday morning in late May, the line of vehicles stretched al- most 2.5 miles from the U.S.-Canadian border south along U.S. Highway 93 past Trapper’s Saloon near Eureka.
It was Victoria Day at the Roosville Port of Entry and Mike Cuffe, the state representative serving Eureka and the surrounding area, wanted to see for himself something he had been hearing about from local business owners and residents. He walked among the vehi- cles and what he heard was a resounding complaint from Canadian visitors agi- tated by the long wait times.
“They were saying ‘Never again. Never again,’” Cuffe recalled recently.
Traffic moves along U.S. Highway 93 through downtown Eureka. BEACON FILE PHOTO
Canadians are big business for bor- der towns like Eureka. Last year 229,713 vehicles with 356,801 people traveled into Montana through Roos-
ville, a 24-hour, 7-day-a-
week border crossing station
that funnels traffic from Brit-
ish Columbia and Alberta
into the Tobacco and Flat-
head valleys. It’s the second
most heavily used port in the
state and 24th busiest north-
ern station in the U.S., ac-
cording to the U.S. Bureau of Transportation.
Yet with heavy traffic
comes long wait times that can last for nearly three hours, leaving a bad taste in the mouths of visitors who might recon- sider returning to Montana, according to Cuffe.
“Our main concern is the huge back- up of traffic of folks returning to B.C. and Alberta at the end of three-day holidays, as well as growing backups during many summer days,” Cuffe said.
He added, “I consider this a vital is- sue to Eureka, and a big thing for the Flathead, too.”
Cuffe is spearheading an effort to work with the Canadian government to find solutions while gathering support on the American side. He has drafted fli- ers with contact information for mem- bers of Parliament in B.C. and Alberta and has been passing them out at the border.
He’s come up with a few solutions that he thinks could solve some of the issues, including adding more staff to Roosville, creating a NEXUS card lane that would allow for expedited entry and adding a fourth lane for inspections that would be staffed during busy periods.
“The border staff are good people and it’s a stressful job. They are trying to work people through but they also have a job to do,” Cuffe said. “There are some things that I think can help.”
The present situation at Roosville can create a safety issue,
struction base is gone and that makes the Canadian dollar even more impor- tant,” Cuffe said.
The Sweetgrass Coutts station north of Shelby is often used an example of a busy port that operates efficiently and safely. The entry point has the benefit of being along U.S. Interstate 15, and saw 81,352 more vehicles cross into Montana last year than Roosville.
“In the grand scheme of things, this is probably a small out-of-the-way port,” Cuffe said of Roosville.
But that doesn’t change the reality of the situation, he said.
He’s enlisted the support of oth- ers, including the Kalispell Chamber of Commerce. President Joe Unterreiner met with Sen. John Walsh last weekend to discuss economic issues that are im- portant to the area, including the long wait lines up north.
“I really appreciate Rep. Cuffe stay- ing on top of that and keeping us in- formed of what’s going on. Down here we get reports from visitors and residences about the long wait times,” Unterreiner said. “Any time you have that, it’s an is- sue. It puts a damper on things when you get hung up at the border.”
[email protected]
too, Cuffe said.
“I CONSIDER THIS “My constituents have
A VITAL ISSUE TO EUREKA, AND A BIG THING FOR THE FLATHEAD, TOO.”
Mike Cuffe
complained and it’s a very obvious safety issue. There are a bunch of homes on that hill and at least three busi- nesses that have driveways that are impacted,” he said.
In recent years an in- creasing amount of Canadi- ans have been traveling to Northwest Montana, either
as tourists or second homeowners, and efforts have been made to proliferate the cross-border spending, including mar- keting campaigns and reduced taxes for items purchased in the U.S.
But according to Cuffe, the current situation, with travelers being stalled for hours while returning home, is harming the flow of tourism and commerce.
“The Canadian dollar is big these days. It used to be a nice little addition. Now a lot of the industrial base, the con-
BUSY BORDER
Last year, 229,713 vehicles entered the U.S. through the Roosville border crossing station near Eureka, ranking it as the second busiest port of entry in the state and 24th busiest on the nation’s entire northern border.