UPDATE 10/3: The road and ramp closures that were in place have been lifted, and the Niagara Falls Bridge Commission and Buffalo and Fort Erie Public Bridge Authority are no longer asking commercial drivers to avoid the Lewiston-Queenston Bridge and Peace Bridge crossings.
ORIGINAL: Traffic disruptions and border backups continued for a third day at the Lewiston-Queenston Bridge following Tuesday's computer outage at the Canadian Border Services Agency.
While the Canadian Border Services Agency said the outage was resolved on Wednesday morning, traffic headaches persisted throughout Thursday at multiple border crossings, including the Lewiston-Queenston Bridge, Peace Bridge and Blue Water Bridge; hundreds of miles west in Michigan.
The backups led to frustrations for truck drivers and commuters, with some commercial drivers stuck on the U.S. side of the border for days.
WATCH: Commerical drivers heading to Canada voice frustration after 3 days of delays
It was a game of patience for commercial truck drivers stuck in Lewiston near the U.S.-Canada border.
"Since Tuesday afternoon," said Jeanine Vanlierop, a commercial truck driver who has been stuck in Western New York.
For Vanlierop, who has been driving trucks for 15 years, this is unlike anything she has ever seen.
"I've never been delayed like this. Ever," Vanlierop said.
The backup left many drivers without pay, though Vanlierop says her company, Schneider National, is compensating her for the unwanted downtime.
"My company...That's the good thing about them, they'll pay us layovers," Vanlierop said. "My coworker has been here since Tuesday also."
Vanlierop was headed to Etobicoke, Ontario, hauling a tanker with roughly 45,000 pounds of oat milk concentrate from New Jersey. Her biggest worry wasn't the wait— it was the product.
"I think it has a 5-day period before it can't be used by the customer that I was taking it to," Vanlierop said. "It's insulated, yes, very thick insulation on the tanker."
The hold-up has left drivers constantly refreshing their phones for updates, but Vanlierop said the information wasn't matching what was really happening at the Lewiston-Queenston Bridge.
"More accurate notification from the local authorities would be nice communication instead of just sitting here and monitoring the phone, which is giving us a bunch of misinformation because it says no delays, but the highway is shut down, you can't get past Exit 24 on I-190 going northbound," Vanlierop said.
About 15 minutes after I arrived, a state trooper began clearing the parking lot where these trucks were stationed, allowing Vanlierop and other drivers to finally cross into Canada. Vanlierop remained hopeful that her time-sensitive delivery would make it in time.
The NYSDOT, NYS Thruway Authority and New York State police issued the following joint statement on Thursday night:
"We are closely monitoring the situation with the Canadian Border Services Agency, which currently has a diminished capacity to process commercial vehicles through primary inspection at the border. This has caused significant commercial truck traffic in Western New York. While this is not an issue that originated here in New York, it continues to impact the traveling public and commercial truck traffic in Western New York.
The Department of Transportation, Thruway Authority and State Police remain in constant contact with our local partners. Variable message signs warning truck drivers are visible all across the State Thruway system and on state roads in Western New York advising commercial traffic of potential traffic delays. Additionally, at the request of state agencies, the Trucking Association of New York has warned its members of significant delays at the Canadian border and the Niagara International Transportation Technology Coalition (NITTEC) has sent updates on regional traffic disruptions to the Western New York community.
Additionally, the State Department of Transportation has closed access from I-190 to the Lewiston-Queenston Bridge at exit 31, diverting all truck traffic in cooperation with New York State Police to the exit at the Summit Park Mall Staging Area.
New York State Police Troop T has assigned additional patrols to the area to assist with exit closures and monitor and manage traffic flows. In addition, Troopers are working to ensure that commercial vehicles waiting to cross the Peace Bridge are not parking on the highway.
Currently the following roads and ramps are closed in the region, as first reported by NITTEC:
- I-190 North at Exit 24 (Witmer Road) in Niagara
- I-190 North ramp to Exit 8 (Niagara Street) in Buffalo
- I-190 North ramp to Exit 9 (Peace Bridge) in Buffalo
- I-190 South ramp to Exit 8 (Niagara Street) in Buffalo
All relevant state agencies are engaged in addressing this situation, including managing and advising commercial trucks to reroute and avoid these border crossings until the situation is resolved."
I reached out to two Niagara County legislators about this situation, who sent me these statements:
"Niagara County Emergency Services has been directly involved over the last several days with the truck backup issue. Our emergency services director has been coordinating with the State Department of Transportation and the State Police to work on strategy and logistics. The main issue from our point of view is making sure that as roads have been closed and truck traffic has been backed up, that there are dedicated lanes for ambulances, firetrucks and other emergency vehicles to serve our residents. We believe significant progress has been made over the last 24 hours and we are optimistic that things should be closer to normal by the weekend."
"I have been in communication with our federal, state, and local representatives regarding the recent closure of the Lewiston-Queenston Bridge to commercial traffic and its impact on the local area. The Canada Border Services Agency alleged yesterday, that their computer systems are operational but will need time to clear the backlog of commercial traffic. I thank our business owners and residents for their patience and for showing respect to truck drivers who have been forced to wait on private property and along our roads during this delay.
While the closure created real challenges, one silver lining is that hundreds of truck drivers who normally wouldn’t stop in Niagara County are now visiting our small businesses and experiencing our community, giving our local economy an unexpected boost."
Similar delays were also impacting drivers at the Peace Bridge in Buffalo. You can watch our report below and read more here.
