Trends in Border Crossing Volumes 1994-2005

1
Trends in Border Crossing Volumes 1994-2005

• Steven Beningo USDOT/RITA/BTS
• Presentation to the Transportation Border Working
  Group
• Niagara Falls, Ontario
• October 23, 2006

2
Overview

• RITA/BTS Border Crossing and Transborder Freight
  Data programs
• Changes in border traffic from 1994 to 2005 at
• The Niagara River Crossings
• New York State Border Crossings
• The entire U.S. Canada Border

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Border Crossing Data

• Counts of inbound crossings to the United States
  from Canada and Mexico
• Available monthly from October 1993 onward
• On-line data from January 1995 onward
• Data on
• Vehicles
• Passengers
• Containers
• Pedestrians

4
Border Crossing Data Improvements

• Now available in an online searchable database
  www.bts.gov/itt
• Users can search and download all historical data
  by
• State
• Port
• Mode
• Year
• Month

5
(No Transcript)
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Transborder Freight Data

• Transportation data for U.S. freight trade with
  Canada and Mexico by ALL modes of transportation
• Detailed subset of official U.S. Trade Statistics
• Available monthly from April 1994 onwards
  www.bts.gov/itt
• Data on NAFTA trade by
• Value
• Weight
• Mode
• Commodity (two-digit HS)
• Port of entry/exit
• State/Province of origin
• and destination

7
Transborder Freight Data Improvements

• Air and Vessel mode data added in 2004
• Critical gaps filled beginning with 2007
  statistics
• New data structure linking port and commodity
  detail
• Weight data on exports to Mexico for all modes
• Searchable database modernization
  underway(Target completion Spring 2007)
• Multi-dimensional search tool will offer improved
  functionality over current searchable database

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Niagara River Crossings

• Peace Bridge
• Rainbow Bridge
• Whirlpool Bridge (NEXUS only)
• Lewiston-Queenston Bridge

9
Niagara River Crossings Personal Vehicles2005
personal vehicle crossings were down 19 over 1994
10
Niagara River Crossings Trucks 2005 truck
crossings were up 29 over 1994
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Port of Buffalo-Niagara Falls Value of Imports
by Truck 2005 value of imports by truck were up
37 over 1995
12
Port of Buffalo-Niagara Falls Tonnage of
Imports by Truck 2005 tonnage of imports by
truck were up 18 over 1995
13
Destination States for U.S. Imports by Truck
Through Buffalo-Niagara Falls 2005
Top 5 by Weight (Thousands of U.S. Short Tons) Top 5 by Weight (Thousands of U.S. Short Tons)
New York 3,475
Pennsylvania 2,194
Ohio 1,266
New Jersey 713
Michigan 520
Top 5 by Value (Billions of U.S. dollars) Top 5 by Value (Billions of U.S. dollars)
New York 5.4
Pennsylvania 3.6
Michigan 3.1
Ohio 2.2
New Jersey 1.6
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Niagara River Crossings -Pedestrians 2005
pedestrian crossings were up 4 over 1994, but
down 55 over 2002
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Niagara River Crossings -Pedestrians

• In 2005, pedestrian traffic on the Niagara River
  crossings (primarily the Rainbow Bridge)
  accounted for
• 99.3 of all New York State Pedestrian Crossings
• 61.2 of all Pedestrian Crossings on the U.S.
  Canada Border
• 0.8 of all Pedestrian Crossings into the United
  States

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Niagara River Crossings -Buses2005 bus crossings
were down 12 over 1994
17
Niagara River Crossings Bus Passengers2005 bus
passenger crossings were up 14 over 1994, but
down 31 over 2000
18
Whirlpool Bridge2001-2006 80 Decrease in June
Traffic
NEXUS Implemented
Source Niagara Falls Bridge Commission
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Niagara River Crossings Other Crossing Trends

• Trains and Train Passengers
• 2005 train crossings were down 17 over 1994
• 2005 train passenger crossings were down 22 over
  1994
• Personal Vehicle Passengers
• 2005 personal vehicle passenger crossings were
  down 9 over 1995

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New York State Border Crossings

• Niagara River
• St. Lawrence River
• Land Border with Quebec

Buffalo Niagara Falls
21
New York State Border Crossing Personal Vehicle
Traffic

• 2005 Compared to 1994 - Percentage Change in
  Personal Vehicle Volume
• Trout River/Fort Covington/Chateaugay - 32
• Champlain/Rouses Point - 29
• Buffalo-Niagara Falls - 19
• Ogdensburg - 15
• Alexandria Bay/Cape Vincent - 8
• Massena - 4

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Truck Traffic Entering New York State at the
Border with Canada

• 2005 Compared to 1994 - Percentage Change in
  Truck Volume
• Ogdensburg 122
• Champlain/Rouses Point 42
• Trout River/Fort Covington/Chateaugay 42
• Buffalo-Niagara Falls 29
• Alexandria Bay/Cape Vincent 22
• Massena 5

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U.S. Canada Border Crossings

• Border Crossings in 11 States, 7 Provinces and
  the Yukon Territory
• Top States 2005 Personal Vehicles
• New York 9.1 million
• Michigan 8.9 million
• Washington 5.0 million
• Maine 3.6 million
• Vermont 1.4 million

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U.S. Canada Border Personal Vehicle Traffic
2005 Compared to 1994

• Vehicle crossings into the U.S. fell from 40.3
  million to 30.4 million (a 25 decline)
• Personal vehicle traffic was down in all states
• Only Grand Portage, Minnesota and Walhalla, North
  Dakota had more personal vehicle traffic in 2005
  than 1994.

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U.S. Canada Border Truck Traffic 2005 Compared
to 1994

• Truck crossings into the United States increased
  from 5 million to 6.8 million (a 37 increase)
• Top States 2005 Trucks
• Michigan 2.7 million
• New York 1.9 million
• Washington 0.7 million
• Maine 0.5 million
• North Dakota 0.3 million

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U.S. Canada Border Truck Traffic 2005 Compared
to 1994

• Incoming truck crossings up over 100 at
• Scobey, Montana (404)
• Boundary, Washington (192)
• Point Roberts, Washington (160)
• Lynden, Washington (154)
• Laurier, Washington (138)
• Ogdensburg, New York (122)
• Alcan, Alaska (121)
• Pinecreek, Minnesota (116)

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Key Points

• Niagara River Crossings
• More trucks
• Fewer personal vehicles
• More than half of all U.S. Canada pedestrian
  crossings
• Whirlpool Bridge volume decline
• New York Border
• More trucks
• Fewer personal vehicles
• Ogdensburg trucks more than doubled

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Key Points

• U.S. Canada Border
• More trucks
• Fewer personal vehicles

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Questions?
Steven Beningo International Transportation
Specialist Bureau of Transportation
Statistics Research and Innovative Technology
Administration U.S. Department of
Transportation [phone] steven.beningo_at_dot.g
ov