By Matthew McCully
Traffic was backed up at the border between Stanstead and Derby Line Thursday afternoon due to the closure of the Highway 55 port of entry.
The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) confirmed that, at the request of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Stanstead border crossing was officially closed to traffic.
“Traffic on Highway 55 is currently diverted. Until further notice, the CBSA is asking travellers to use the Highway 143 or Beebee ports of entry and commercial vehicle drivers to use the Stanhope or St-Armand port of entry,” a CBSA spokesperson stated in an email to The Record Thursday afternoon.
A U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) spokesperson, in an email, explained the CBP had responded to a threat regarding a suspicious package at the Derby Line port of entry.
By press time, the Highway 55 port was still closed and no additional information was available.
