CBP announces new 'Ready Lane' at Peace Bridge and Rainbow Bridge

U.S. Customs and Border Protection Field Operations has announced a new initiative to expedite the entry of travelers possessing Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, Radio Frequency Identification technology-enabled travel documents at the Peace Bridge and Rainbow Bridge ports of entry.

Since the implementation of WHTI, travelers have been required to present secure travel documents that denote citizenship and identity when entering or re-entering the U.S. from within the Western Hemisphere. As of Aug. 22, CBP has dedicated a separate or "Ready Lane" at the Peace Bridge and Rainbow Bridge for travelers entering the U.S. with an RFID-enabled card.

Acceptable documents include:

•Trusted traveler cards such as NEXUS, SENTRI or FAST cards; enhanced driver's licenses or enhanced identification card; U.S. passport cards and new permanent resident cards.

The new "Ready Lane" at the Peace Bridge is open from 2 until 6 p.m., and at the Rainbow Bridge from 3 until 7 p.m. It is operational Monday through Thursday at each location. CBP will monitor the success of the lane and may expand the hours of operation as needed to meet the demand for usage.

The CBP border wait time website (http://apps.cbp.gov/bwt/) has been updated to inform travelers of the specific lane number at each bridge used for the "Ready Lane."

In order to use this dedicated lane, all adult passengers over the age of 16 must present one of the approved RFID-enabled travel cards.

Travelers using the "Ready Lane" are reminded of three steps to follow as they approach a U.S. land port of entry with their RFID-enabled travel card:

Stop at the beginning of the lane and prepare to slowly approach the booth when clear.

With travel cards removed from a protective sleeve, passengers should hold them up, with the flat front face of the card toward a window on the driver's side. The RFID-enabled cards will be read automatically while the vehicle proceeds slowly to the inspection booth.

Stop at the inspection booth and be prepared to present the cards for all travelers in the vehicle to the CBP officer.

The CBP continues to strongly encourage travelers to obtain RFID-enabled identification to expedite their entry and to help make the borders more efficient.

The WHTI upgrades, which include new software, hardware and the development of vicinity RFID secure technology, were implemented as part of the statutory mandates of the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention ACT of 2004. No personally identifiable information is stored on the RFID chip.

For more information, visit www.GetYouHome.gov or www.CBP.gov.