Intelligent Transportation Border Crossing System (ITBCS)

at the

United States / Canada Border

connecting

Buffalo, NY USA and Ft. Erie, Ontario Canada

Prepared Statement for

The Subcommittee on Immigration and Claims Oversight Hearing on "Alternative Technologies for Implementation of Section 110 of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996

at Land Borders."

Prepared by

Anthony D. Braunscheidel

Buffalo and Ft. Erie Public Bridge Authority (PBA)

1 Peace Bridge Plaza

Buffalo NY 14213-2494

OVERVIEW

Buffalo & Fort Erie Public Bridge Authority

The Buffalo & Fort Erie Public Bridge Authority, referred to as the Peace Bridge, is located near the center of downtown Buffalo, NY and connects to Fort Erie, Ontario, at the Niagara River crossing. The authority's principle asset and source of revenue is the Peace Bridge. In accordance with its legislation, the Peace Bridge operates without share capital; all current and future surpluses are committed to capital projects and repayment of outstanding bonds. In addition to providing a link for passenger car traffic, the Peace Bridge is a vital link to long distance commercial freight carriers, communication conduits, and general international travel and trade. The Peace Bridge was opened to traffic in 1927 and has accommodated over 300 million crossings. As the second largest international border crossing between the US and Canada, the Peace Bridge handled over 1.3 million commercial and 6.3 million passenger crossings in 1997 alone. In terms of international trade value, more than $80 million a day in merchandise trade crosses at this port, totaling more than $30 billion annually. These figures represent approximately 15% of the total value of trade between the two largest trading partners in the world.

Since 1990 commercial traffic has increased more than 50% as a result of NAFTA and other regional agreements. As a result, the Peace Bridge Authority is implementing a capital improvement plan of historic proportions. Not since the construction of the existing bridge in 1927 has so much activity taken place. To meet its role in international trade, travel, and tourism, the Peace Bridge is preparing for the twenty-first century by reconstructing and expanding the United States and Canadian Plazas, building a companion span, constructing a pre-arrival facility to streamline commercial vehicle processing into the United States, and testing new intelligent transportation systems in traffic management and customs/immigration clearance.

INTELLIGENT TRANSPORTATION BORDER CROSSING SYSTEM (ITBCS) DEVELOPMENT

Overview

The Peace Bridge along with eleven other agencies from the United States and Canada have been working cooperatively over the last two years to develop and implement a communications system which tests the concept of seamless or non-stop border crossing. This system is essentially a core communications backbone which routs messages from moving vehicles to resident government computer systems, thereby allowing a single entity to communicate simultaneously with multiple agencies via common technology.

Collectively the agencies involved have chosen to call this project the Intelligent Transportation Border Crossing System. ITBCS uses wireless (Dedicated Short Range Communications) methods for transmitting messages to and from moving vehicles. This technology is in use today at many toll authorities and is not new, however, the application beyond electronic toll collection (ETC) to Customs border cargo and Immigration clearance is relatively new. This application has been developed where agencies with very different missions and mandates have utilized a common communications platform for processing goods and people at the border.

Goal

Prior to the Peace Bridge field operational test, Dedicated Short Range Communications (DSRC) had supported commercial and passenger vehicles in the areas of vehicle clearance, safety, and electronic toll collection. Current efforts are designed to test the functionality of using Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) to expedite auto and commercial traffic through customs and immigration at land border crossings.

Partnerships

Appreciating that DSRC, an element of ITS, has potential ancillary uses outside the primary application, successful implementation of ITS at border crossings is predicated on strong interagency cooperation. Eleven agencies currently have some level of involvement in the project: US Treasury, US Immigration, New York State Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, Peace Bridge Authority, Revenue Canada, Canada Immigration, Transport Canada, Ministry of Transportation Ontario, Detroit International Bridge Company, and the Michigan Department Of Transportation.

Institutional Issues

Implementation of new technology produces challenges in any organization. Implementation of new technology at the border crossing amongst several government agencies with differing institutional missions produces great challenge. The North American Trade Automation Prototype initiative involved three countries (United States, Canada and Mexico) at several border crossings simultaneously. Even the passenger initiatives between United States and Canada present some cultural issues between two very similar countries. Creating the seamless border therefore requires developing standardized procedures and harmonized processes.

Probably the most fundamental institutional issue regarding the use of DSRC technology pertains to the desire for interoperability by both the provider and user. Interoperability suggests that one device, in our case the transponder, may be used with other agency applications. Technically, solutions are available today which enable several different transponder types to be read at a single facility. The test of DSRC at the Peace Bridge demonstrated this in both the automobile and commercial tests. However, true interoperability requires that administrative agreements among agencies be in place in order to take complete advantage of today's technology. For example, the Peace Bridge receives the vast majority of northbound traffic from the New York State Thruway Authority (NYSTA). The NYSTA is a member of the Inter Agency Group (IAG) which is no doubt, the single largest group deploying DSRC tags for electronic toll collection in the country. In light of this large installed base of tags and the knowledge that some portion of those people will cross the bridge as well, efforts are underway with the IAG to form interoperability agreements so that tags being used for Thruway toll collection will also be practical for border clearance.

Funding

The importance of facilitating traffic and trade at the northern border is evidenced by the agency funding contributions in both countries as noted:

Federal Highway Administration - Office of Motor Carriers $1.57 million

Transport Canada $250,000 (CAN)

Revenue Canada $250,000 (CAN)

Ministry of Transportation Ontario $250,000 (CAN)

Contractual agreements between the above and the Peace Bridge resulted in the PBA acting as contracting agent on behalf of all the agencies involved with the project.

ITS DRIVING FORCES

What prompted the Peace Bridge Authority to explore the use of advanced technology at the border?

Capacity

Commercial traffic increases, gaming impacts, physical constraints, bridge deck conditions and projections of commercial traffic doubling by 2020 have all placed either a need or concern for additional capacity.

Throughput Demands

In this day of Just -In -Time delivery, inventory resides in the backs of trucks on the road. Clearly, the fixed infrastructure between manufacturing plants in New York and Ontario become part of the assembly line. Cross border assembly is facilitated by the efficiency of the border gateway with respect to predictable travel times. Also, in this era of decreasing governmental resources and increased demand, border agencies are forced to do more with less.

Financial

Construction of new facilities is expensive. New facilities require investments in maintenance. Moreover, the impact of construction and maintenance activities in general may result in adverse short term revenue impacts. Time lines are lengthy when considering major capital improvements. Beginning the environmental process, holding public meetings, analyzing comments and beginning design can take several years in large projects. The ability to maintain existing and predicted traffic volumes is essential in order to properly service debt.

Other

Other factors contributing to the desire of the Peace Bridge to look at advanced technology are :

• Ability to support the local economies of Buffalo and Fort Erie by providing an efficient conduit for travelers and trade.



• NAFTA , which has significantly impacted the volume of commercial vehicles, calls for cooperation and the harmonization of the documentation and procedures used in trade.



• Development of internal information systems and a desire to keep pace with current technology.



• Ambassador Bridge Company's desire to implement similar technology at the Detroit, MI / Windsor, Ontario crossing.



• NATAP - Trilateral initiative by the heads of customs in the US, Canada and Mexico.



• Tests for Secure Electronic Network for Travelers Rapid Inspection (SENTRI), the southern border technology, were successful which encouraged a similar deployment on the northern border.



• DSRC technology is moving from acceptance to expectance. There is a large amount of this technology installed in both commercial and non-commercial vehicles and drivers expect to use it in place of traditional means. The IAG EZ PASS in New York, Highway 407--Ontario's first all electronic toll road--and other systems have placed the Peace Bridge in a position where customer demand for automatic vehicle identification is high.



• The US/Canada Accord on Our Shared Border seeks to promote international trade while providing enhanced protection against drugs, smuggling and the illegal and irregular movement of people. Facilitation of the movement of people at reduced costs to both the government and users are objectives under the Accord and are objectives of the Peace Bridge through the use of advanced technology as well.

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