Federal officials plan to cut staffing hours at the Vanceboro border crossing in half, from 24 hours a day to 12 hours during peak crossing times.
Starting Sept. 11, anyone in Vanceboro who wants to cross the border into Canada between 8 p.m. and 8 a.m. will either have to wait until morning or drive roughly 60 miles to cross from Calais.
On the Canadian side, the more direct drive from St. Croix, opposite the border from Vanceboro, to Calais is about only 32 miles. The winding border follows the Saint Croix River.
A traffic volume study of the Vanceboro crossing indicated that 89 percent of the vehicles that cross between St. Croix and Vanceboro do so between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., according to U.S. Customs and Border Patrol, the federal agency that manages points of entry into the United States from other countries. Rail traffic across the border at Vanceboro also “increased significantly” during that time of day, the agency said.
“CBP is constantly searching for better ways to serve the American people,” said Jennifer De La O, the agency’s regional director of field operations. “By reducing Vanceboro’s hours of operation to peak travel periods, CBP will be able to redeploy those resources locally to better serve rail traffic and the Vanceboro, Maine, border crossing community.”
For the 11 percent of traffic that presently can cross between 8 p.m. and 8 a.m., it will either be a longer drive to cross or a wait until morning.
Officials with the town of Vanceboro and with Customs and Border Patrol did not respond Wednesday morning to separate requests for comment and additional information.