People crossing the border at Emerson may have noticed some changes.

Roxie Remillard, CBSA Chief of Operations for the Southern Manitoba District, explained these changes are part of the Emerson expansion project, which is all about modernization.

"When the facility was originally built it wasn't intended to process the number of travellers, cars, and trucks with larger shipments that we do see today. So, upgrading the facility to meet current volumes is part of how we envisioned providing a better service to Canadians," said Remillard.

As of July 30, three new primary inspection booths are in service at the Emerson port of entry. "Once the project is completed, these booths will provide us with the capacity to process both commercial and traveller volumes, as needed," said added.

A new commercial parking lot is also underway, and Remillard expects this work to be completed in about a month. Currently, commercial parking is reduced due to construction. However, this is temporary and Remillard thanks travellers and commercial clients for their patience and cooperation.

Paving around the commercial warehouse.

Also in the process is the conversion of a current commercial-only booth into a bi-level booth.

"Which will also provide us with the capacity to process both travellers and commercial vehicles on a needed basis," said Remillard.

Later on in the project, one lane will be dedicated to commercial Free and Secure Trade (FAST) members.

"We are going to incorporate the... FAST program into the commercial clearance, and it's designed to ensure the safety and security while expediting, of course, legitimate trade across the Canada-United States border."

As for bus processing, the current traveller vehicle inspection garage was expanded and has been in service since early July. Construction on the commercial warehouse is another project that's almost complete as well. The new warehouse is a larger, more modern facility.

The existing traveller vehicle inspection garage has also been expanded to accommodate bus processing. It's been in service since early July.

"It will allow the officers to be more efficient and effective in the commercial inspections. What we've designed is that there are 3 backup bays, and, in addition, there's another bay that is designed for the whole truck to actually be within the warehouse, outside of the elements," Remillard explained.

Finally, roadwork around the commercial warehouse and parking area will continue into the fall, and the entire project is also expected to be completed this fall.

This two-year project has been on schedule. Remillard noted hiring more staff for the expanded facilities isn't necessary at this time.

As of Monday, July 30, three new primary inspection booths are in service at the Emerson port of entry.