Major delays at the Whatcom border crossings as Canadians celebrate long weekend

It’s shaping up to be a very busy weekend in Whatcom County as thousands of British Columbians celebrate a long weekend by crossing the border.

Southbound travelers at the four border crossings into Whatcom County were experiencing long wait times Friday morning into the afternoon, April 15. The Cascadia Gateway dashboard was showing delays of around an hour at the Peace Arch, Pacific Highway and Sumas crossings at around 2 p.m., while Lynden reported wait times of under 30 minutes.

The CityNews radio station out of Vancouver, B.C. reported that some travelers were waiting for well over three hours to cross the border to kick off Easter weekend. Easter Friday is a holiday in British Columbia, while many also take the following Monday, April 18, off from work as well.

It’s the first long weekend since the Canadian government dropped its COVID-19 testing requirements on Friday, April 1.

Traffic was already heavy at the four main Whatcom County border crossings on Thursday, April 14. According to the data compiled by B.C. and Washington government agencies, nearly 15,000 vehicles traveled northbound and southbound on Thursday, making it one of the busiest days of the year.

Border traffic has dramatically increased in April following the lifting of testing restrictions. Throughout February the average traffic count at the four main border crossings was around 5,000 vehicles a day, while late March was peaking at around 7,800 vehicles a day. The past few weekends have had average daily totals of around 15,000 vehicles.

Travelers are still required to submit information into the ArriveCAN app or website before arriving at the border crossing.

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