The Trout River port of entry into the United States will officially close on June 1 for construction. The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced the closure of the border crossing, which links the municipality of Elgin to Constable, New York, on May 5.
The nearby ports of Champlain-Saint-Bernard-de-Lacolle, Fort Covington-Dundee, and Mooers-Hemmingford will remain open 24 hours a day, seven days a week during the construction period, which is expected to last until spring 2028. The Chateauguay crossing at Herdman will be open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. while the one-way Churubusco point of entry at Franklin Centre will remain accessible from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Karine Martel, a spokesperson for the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), confirmed that operations at the Trout River port of entry will not be impacted by the construction work on the American side of the border. “There is no construction or modernization work scheduled for the Canadian side at this time,” she added, noting the road leading to Canada will also remain accessible.
According to the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA), an independent agency that manages federal property and provides contracting options for government agencies, the Trout River port of entry was constructed in 1931 in response to increased enforcement during the prohibition era and the rising popularity of automobiles. The building is a historic and visual landmark that defines the hamlet of Trout River. The facility shares a unique relationship to the CBSA inspection station, which is also a recognized heritage building.
Project details published by the GSA states that the construction work will preserve the Colonial Revival building, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, while updating it to meet the needs of today’s customs and border protection operations. The original two-story, gambrel-roofed inspection station and its hipped roof garage wings will be maintained, while an extension will be built to accommodate a larger U.S. CBP program that the existing facility can no longer support on its own, including a new inbound and outbound traffic inspection canopy. Improvements will also be made to vehicle inspection facilities to resolve existing operational issues and safety concerns for border officers.
With a project budget up to $35 million, the GSA emphasizes the design for Trout River will be environmentally sustainable. The agency is targeting LEED gold status as well as SITES certification for the building, which is expected to be “an all-electric, net-zero emissions-ready facility, with an on-site photovoltaic array providing approximately 25 per cent of the facility’s electricity.” This building is expected to use 53 per cent less energy when compared with a standard building.
According to Martel, the CBSA recently carried out renovation work on the exterior of the Canadian building at Trout River in 2025. This work was approved and supervised by a heritage conservation specialist, which is mandatory for all projects involving a building with heritage designation.