U.S. General Services Administration
Porthill Border Station to be Modernized Under Bipartisan Infrastructure Law
TACOMA, Wash. -- The Biden Administration and the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) announced today that the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law signed by President Biden will invest in modernizing and expanding the Porthill Border Inspection Station - strengthening supply chains, creating jobs, and enhancing security and trade throughout the region.
“America’s land ports are vital to our economy and our security, with billions of dollars in goods and services crossing our borders each and every day,” said GSA Administrator Robin Carnahan. “These bipartisan investments are a historic opportunity to modernize our land ports in ways that will create good-paying jobs and strengthen supply chains, while enhancing safety and security.”
Overall, the $3.4 billion in direct spending by GSA is estimated to support, on average, nearly 6,000 annual jobs over the next eight years; add $3.23 billion in total labor income across the United States; contribute an additional $4.5 billion to the National Gross Domestic Product; and generate hundreds of millions of dollars in tax revenue for state, local, and federal governments.
“Our underfunded and outdated infrastructure has real costs to families, our economy, and our global competitiveness,” said Senior Advisor & White House Infrastructure Coordinator Mitch Landrieu. “President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is investing in strengthening our supply chains, including our land ports which are vital for moving goods across our borders.
“The border stations in the Pacific Northwest provide secure, welcoming gateways to our country,” Acting Regional Administrator Lisa Pearson, said. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to improve so many facilities while providing the much-needed economic relief these projects will bring to the region.”
The port is one of 26 major construction and modernization land port of entry projects funded through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The average land port of entry is nearly 40 years old and long overdue for upgrades. Investment in port modernization will strengthen supply chains, improve operational capabilities and facility infrastructure, spur economic growth and bolster the country’s security. Many of these modernization projects will allow CBP to more effectively deploy the latest technology to identify high-risk activity and shipments, combat drug trafficking, and increase operational security.
These projects also provide the opportunity to incorporate sustainability features which will sharply reduce greenhouse gas emissions, mitigate the impact of buildings on the environment and simultaneously increase the mission readiness of the federal government by increasing resilience to climate change.
The Portillo Border Inspection Station, situated along the Kootenai River, serves the border communities of Porthill, Idaho and Creston, British Columbia. It currently operates 16-hours a day, seven days a week, processing privately owned vehicles (POVs), buses, and pedestrians. It also processes a limited amount of commercial traffic under a pre-approved permit process.
The Porthill Expansion project will enhance the site’s operational efficiency and capabilities. Commercial processing will be enhanced with state-of-the-art automated pre-screening/processing technology and optimized traffic flow patterns throughout the property.
New, modern and energy efficient facilities will be designed and constructed to house U.S. Customs and Border Protection operations and processing functions, all to create a sustainable and functional border station for decades to come.
For more information on how GSA is modernizing land ports of entry, please go here.
*Note: Estimated project costs are planning estimates and subject to change due to time and market conditions.
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About GSA: GSA provides centralized procurement for the federal government, managing a nationwide real estate portfolio of nearly 370 million rentable square feet and overseeing approximately $75 billion in annual contracts. GSA’s mission is to deliver value and savings in real estate, acquisition, technology, and other mission-support services across government, in support of the Biden-Harris Administration’s priorities. For more information, visit GSA.gov and follow us at @USGSA.