ALDERGROVE, B.C. -- Chalk a victory up for B.C. truckers.

Regional officials from the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) in B.C. were persuaded by the B.C. Trucking Association to keep the Aldergrove border crossing (northbound) open to commercial vehicles.

Earlier this month, CBSA floated the idea of closing the Aldergrove crossing to truckers because the crossing is not equipped with the proper security checks to detect illegal activity in commercial trucks, and wanted the traffic diverted to the Pacific Highway crossing.

Aldergrove is the 12th busiest border crossing in Canada and about 100,000 commercial trucks use the route to cross the Canada/U.S. border per year.

The decision to continue service for commercial vehicles was based on feedback provided by a BCTA delegation on June 5, which provided information about the potential financial and economic impact on trucking companies; the projected population and business growth in the Fraser Valley; and the general trend towards trucking companies moving operations east of the south arm of the Fraser River.

Although CBSA agreed to keep the crossing open, officials cautioned that the agency would need to explore options to deal with commercial traffic on an interim basis (2009 – 2011) while a replacement facility at Aldergrove is being constructed.

CBSA also agreed that serious consideration should also be given to expanding services and facilities at Aldergrove to accommodate increased trade, related traffic, and growth in economic activity in the Fraser Valley.