CBSA launches new phase in the Saint-Bernard-de-Lacolle border crossing modernization project

September 24, 2025         Montréal, Quebec                    Canada Border Services Agency 

The modernization of the Saint-Bernard-de-Lacolle border crossing launched in winter 2025 is progressing well and the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) wishes to inform port of entry users that a new and important phase of the project will begin in the coming days.

Construction of the new travellers’ primary inspection line

Work to redevelop the primary inspection line at the port of entry will begin on September 29, 2025, requiring the temporary closure of five of the eight lanes dedicated to processing travellers. The dedicated NEXUS lane remains open.

The redevelopment of the primary inspection line is expected to be completed by winter 2027 with the opening of eight new travellers’ booths. The work is beginning after the end of the busy summer season – at a time of year when only three of eight lanes are generally used –and in the context of a 25% decrease in volumes observed at this port of entry over the past months, compared to the same period in 2024. 

In order to avoid wait times at the Saint-Bernard-de-Lacolle border crossing, the CBSA encourages travellers to consult on our website the border wait times for major ports of entry located nearby.

Other work underway at the site also continues as planned:

• Deconstruction of the former commercial building was completed in spring 2025.
• Excavation and foundation preparation work on the new passenger processing building has been underway since this summer. This will allow the contractor to begin building the above-ground structure for the new traveller processing building this fall.

Renovation of commercial booths

Renovations to the commercial booths at the port of entry will also begin in the coming weeks and will result in periodic lane closures. This project aims to complete civil work over the winter and replace the main windows of the booths.

In the context of this renovation work, we are encouraging the port of entry’s commercial clients to transit through the Saint-Armand/Philipsburg port of entry in the coming months when possible.

Current restrictions on access for oversized commercial vehicles that have been in place since the spring remain in effect. For more information, please refer to Customs Notice 25-18.