Pilot Project: Using RFID to Reduce Border Queues
David Davidson · Western CEDAR (Western Washington University) · 2014
Since 9/11, about $500 million has been spent on border infrastructure in the Cascade Gateway region, including new port facilities, improvements to approaching highways, and deployments of technologies such as wait-time systems. Yet there frequently are queues in excess of 60 minutes for the many travelers who are not enrolled in NEXUS (a program that provides trusted travelers with access to a dedicated highway lane). While regional stakeholders know that queues would be far worse in the absence of past investments, efforts are continually underway to improve border mobility. Greater usage of RFID-enabled documents is a proven method of bolstering mobility, because such documents can improve throughput at each inspection booth.