The Thousand Islands Border Crossing connects the towns of

Alexandria Bay, New York Alexandria Bay is a village in Jefferson County, New York, United States, within the town of Alexandria. It is located in the Thousand Islands region of northern New York. The population of the village was 1,078 at the 2010 United States Census. I ...

, and Ivy Lea, Ontario, on the Canada–US border. The crossing is via the international span of the

Thousand Islands Bridge The Thousand Islands International Bridge (french: Pont des Mille-îles) is an American-maintained international bridge system over the Saint Lawrence River connecting northern New York in the United States with southeastern Ontario in Canada. Co ...

. The Thousand Islands bridge, which was completed in 1938, is actually a system of five bridges and the island roadways connecting them. The international span, which crosses a small rift between

Wellesley Island Wellesley Island in Jefferson County, New York, United States is partially in the Town of Orleans and partially in the Town of Alexandria. History The island was named Wells Island but during his 1815 survey of the US-Canada border renamed by ...

in the US and

Hill Island Hill Island is a Baffin Island offshore island located in the Arctic Archipelago in the territory of Nunavut. The uninhabited island lies in Frobisher Bay, approximately southwest of Iqaluit. Bishop Island and Faris Island Faris Island (alternat ...

in Canada, is only in length. A second, parallel span was built in 1959 to accommodate congestion at the ports of entry. The US and Canada border stations are located at the opposite ends of this span. The crossing is the westernmost of the three on the St. Lawrence River and is very busy, with up to two hours of waits during the summer. The US border station of Alexandria Bay has sometimes been called "Thousand Islands", and the Canada border station of Lansdowne has sometimes been called "Gananoque", named for the nearby

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

where international ferry service has historically been (and continues to be) provided. These border stations are also responsible for inspecting vessel traffic between the two countries. The US has seasonal vessel inspection stations on

Heart Island Heart Island is an island in the Town of Alexandria within the Saint Lawrence River, along the northern border of the U.S. state of New York, in Jefferson County. The island is one of the most prominent within the Thousand Islands archipelago ...

and at

Cape Vincent, New York Cape Vincent is a town in Jefferson County, New York, United States. The population was 2,777 at the 2010 census. The town is in the northwestern part of the county. In the town is a village also called Cape Vincent. Both town and village a ...

, and Canada has seasonal vessel inspection stations at Rockport, Ontario, and

Gananoque, Ontario Gananoque ( ) is a town in the Leeds and Grenville area of Ontario, Canada. The town had a population of 5,383 year-round residents in the 2021 Canadian Census, as well as summer residents sometimes referred to as "Islanders" because of the Thous ...

, and both Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) and the

U.S. Customs and Border Protection United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is the largest federal law enforcement agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security. It is the country's primary border control organization, charged with regulating and facilit ...

(CBP) will travel to selected ports and marinas to conduct inspections upon request.

Future

In 2019, a new border station with five inspection booths, was under construction on the US side, to replace the former border facility. As of 2022 the new facility has been opened and is currently in service, although certain parts of the facility remain under construction.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thousand Islands Border Crossing Canada–United States border crossings 1938 establishments in New York (state) 1938 establishments in Ontario Buildings and structures in Jefferson County, New York

Future

See also

References