US will build a new customs station on the Alaska Highway at Canadian border

Updated: February 26, 2022 Published: February 25, 2022

This Sept. 22, 2021, photo shows a sign in Tok, Alaska, pointing to the nearby border crossing with Canada. The U.S. government announced Friday, Feb. 25, 2022, that a new border station estimated to cost $187 million will be built near Tok, replacing the current station built in 1971 and which the General Services Administration called the most isolated port of entry between the U.S. and Canada. (AP Photo/Mark Thiessen)

A new U.S. border station estimated to cost $187 million will be built on the Alaska Highway at Alaska’s border with Canada, the federal government announced Friday.

The funding for design and construction of the ALCAN Border Station will come from the federal infrastructure law, the U.S. General Services Administration said in a statement.

The GSA says the current station was built in 1971.

“After more than 50 years, it is time to bring this port into the 21st century,” Republican U.S. Rep. Don Young of Alaska said in the GSA statement.

This funding “will go a long way toward maximizing efficiency, spurring economic growth and bolstering our national security,” Young said.

The project calls for an energy-efficient port that will include operational facilities, housing and community complexes. The new port will consolidate primary and secondary inspection areas in one building and shield U.S. Customs and Border Protection personnel from the extreme Interior Alaska weather.