Update: The Royal Canadian Mounted Police have confirmed a report from the Canadian Press that there has been a breakthrough that has put an end, for now, to the blockade of the Coutts/Sweetgrass border crossing.
As of Wednesday afternoon, one northbound lane and one southbound lane were being cleared, which should allow travel to begin resuming at the only 24/7 crossing between Alberta and Montana.
However, access to cross-border travel remains limited. The Canadian Border Services Agency lists the wait time to get into Canada from the crossing at approximately seven hours for both commercial traffic and general travelers.
The Port of Sweetgrass remains open for those looking to travel into Montana, but making it to the Port may not be possible. The RCMP says that they are providing escorts to the border.
Authorities continue to advise the traveling public to seek alternate routes if possible. As a result of the delays, Canadian Border Service has temporarily extended port hours at Carway from 8 AM to 10 PM and at Del Bonita from 9 AM to 10 PM.
HAVRE, Mont. (NMB) – With the blockade at the Coutts/Sweetgrass border crossing showing no signs of coming to an end, local officials would like to alert the public about the potential for increased traffic east of I-15.
Hill County Disaster and Emergency Services Coordinator Amanda Frickel says that there could be impacts in Hill, Liberty, Blaine and Phillips Counties, especially near the port of Wild Horse.
“I believe that it will mostly be just delays. People will all just need to have a little more patience. Not sure how much traffic will be backed up there at Wild Horse. But just urging people to allow for more travel time, be safe. If you do see anything that doesn’t look right or you’ve got lost people or something like that up north, just make sure you’re calling your local sheriff’s department and reporting it.”
Although many people are able to find alternate routes, some truckers traveling across the border are unable to go through smaller ports.
“There are certain things, heavy equipment and things like that, that can only go through certain ports. And it’s all just going to depend on what is in the manifest for that truck.”
The blockade is tied to protests of Canadian COVID regulations, including a mandate that truckers must either be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or undergo PCR testing and be quarantined for two weeks.
