• US-Canada TBWG
• US-Mexico JWC
• US-Mexico JWC ES

• Action Plan
• Steering Committee
• Subcommittees
• MOCs
• Meetings
• Newsletter
• Library
• Contact Us
• Regional Organizations

U.S.-Canada Transportation Border Working Group

Action Plan 2018-2020

Overview

The TBWG

Mission

The U.S.-Canada TBWG was formed in 2001 to facilitate the safe, secure, efficient, and environmentally responsible movement of people and goods across the Canada-U.S. border. The TBWG brings together multiple transportation and border agencies, and other organizations, to coordinate transportation planning, policy implementation, and the deployment of technology to enhance border infrastructure and operations. As such, this forum fosters on-going communication, information sharing, and the exchange of best practices to improve the transportation, safety and security systems that connect our two countries.

Organization

The TBWG is jointly led by the U.S. Federal Highway Administration and Transport Canada. Its core membership includes federal, state, and provincial departments/ministries of transportation from both sides of the border, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and the Canada Border Services Agency.  Other participants include Global Affairs Canada, the U.S. Department of State, and other partners, such as regional cross-border planning organizations, whose members encompass government agencies devoted to transportation and border issues.

Structure

The work of the TBWG is guided by a binational Steering Committee, which is led by Co-chairs from the U.S. Department of Transportation-Federal Highway Administration and Transport Canada. They are joined by representatives from their respective departments and agencies, federal border agencies, representatives of border states/provinces, subcommittee co-chairs, and co-leads on major topics and issues of interest (e.g. border infrastructure, technology, etc.). The Steering Committee meets regularly to plan and coordinate TBWG activities. Steering Committee responsibilities include planning the semi-annual plenary meetings of the TBWG membership in the U.S. and Canada and collaborating on TBWG communications, including the management of the TBWG website TheTBWG.org.

Participation and governance

Introduction

TBWG Action Plan

TBWG Co-Chairs:

The TBWG Action Plan will be updated every two years by the TBWG Steering Committee to:

• Communicate current priorities and activities of the TBWG in support of its mission; and
• Track the progress and performance of the TBWG.

Purpose of the Action Plan

This Action Plan sets out areas of focus for the work of the TBWG:

1. Policy;
2. Planning and Programming;
3. Deployment of Technology; and
4. Communication and Facilitation.

These work areas are supported by co-leads (both Canadian and U.S. TBWG members), subcommittees or discussion groups. Responsibility for advancing specific TBWG actions and tracking progress under each work area is distributed among the federal lead-agencies (TC and USDOT), co-leads and subcommittee co-chairs.  Currently, the areas of focus are:

• Policy;
• Border Infrastructure;
• Trade and Traffic Data;
• Technology; and
• Cross-Border Rail Discussion Group.

1. Policy

Current Action Items and Status

An important facet of the work of the binational and multi-agency TBWG in its mission to take coordinated action and innovate is the dedicated attention that it gives to differing policy and authority between the two countries. Types of work that are undertaken in this area include the assessment of new and proposed policies when requested by the TBWG Co-chairs.  Policy work also provides a connection between TBWG and academic research on U.S.-Canada border issues.
The Policy work of the TBWG is supported by:

Policy Co-Leads

Objectives: Recognizing that changes in border policy have implications for transportation system operations and transportation infrastructure investment:

• To support the TBWG mission by fostering ongoing communication among TBWG participants to better anticipate, understand, and plan for changes in each country's border-related policies (usually at the federal level but also at the state and provincial level);
• To improve practitioners' view of potential connections between proposed and planned policy changes and border operations by maintaining a strong dialogue between TBWG and academic and applied research institutions;
• To manage the Policy section of the TBWG website;
• To foster discussion of policy issues at TBWG plenary meetings; and
• To maintain an inventory of cross-border financial arrangements.

Current Actions – Policy

Planning & Infrastructure

The Planning and Programming work of the TBWG aims to:

• Coordinate national-level planning of cross-border infrastructure and trade and travel systems and support regional binational coordination efforts; and
• Facilitate understanding of the objectives of each country's federal programs that focus on facilitation and management of cross-border trade and travel.

In its Planning and Programming work, the TBWG Steering Committee is supported by co-leads on Border Infrastructure.

Border Infrastructure Co-Leads

Objectives: To support the implementation of the border infrastructure components of Canada and the U.S. infrastructure funding.  In addition, to facilitate shared binational understanding and information-sharing on border-related infrastructure projects.

Current Actions – Border Infrastructure

Trade & Traffic Data

The Trade and Traffic Data work of the TBWG aims to:

• Support a binational and trinational effort to facilitate the collection, organization, maintenance, and analysis of data pertaining to cross-border traffic and trade flows between Canada, the United States, and Mexico; and
• To help make available data pertaining to cross-border traffic and trade flows to interested parties and relevant stakeholders.

The Trade and Traffic Data work is supported by:

Trade and Traffic Data Co-Leads

Objectives:  To coordinate border trade, traffic, and corridor data among TBWG partners with the objectives of:

• Keeping an inventory of state and provincial highway and infrastructure data collection;
• Identifying data-collection, transportation demand modeling, and operational modeling best practices;
• Fostering partnerships to maximize border data collection.

Current Actions – Trade & Traffic Data

Deployment of Technology

The TBWG mission includes facilitating discussion and coordination of the role of intelligent transportation systems (ITS) and other technology that will improve the efficient movement of goods and people across the U.S./Canada border.

The Deployment of Technology work of the TBWG is supported by:

Technology Co-Leads

Objectives: Working with a number of different U.S. and Canadian stakeholders, the TBWG promotes the use of the technology and other tools, including the Border Information Flow Architecture (BIFA) to help ensure institutional agreement and technical integration for ITS & other technology projects at major land border crossings.

Desired outcomes include: identification of technologies and agencies that use technologies at or near the border; fully coordinated border ITS/technology deployments; integration of technology considerations into the planning process; interoperability of technologies; reduced technology investment cost; and enhanced information exchange, coordination, and communication.
Ongoing work/areas of interest include:

• Identifying opportunities to maximize data gathering efficiency and information-sharing by mapping data collectors, users, and identifying and addressing redundancies and gaps;
• Integrating technology considerations into the planning process (e.g. facilities, infrastructure, transportation, future technology);
• Supporting interoperability of technologies;
• Identifying technologies that could enhance border capacity & efficiency;
• Coordinating stakeholders on both sides of the border to ensure complementary approaches to border initiatives; and
• Supporting implementation of technology components of the BTB Action Plan.

Current Actions – Deployment of Technology

Cross-Border Rail Discussion Group

The Cross-Border Rail work of the TBWG aims to:

• Facilitate communication as it pertains to passenger and freight cross-border rail safety, regulatory issues, and other topics of interest.

In its Cross-Border Rail work is supported by:

Rail Co-Leads

Objectives: Ongoing functions of the Cross-Border Rail Discussion Group include:

• Exchange of information about each country's rail policies, business models, investment planning, and existing and proposed cross-border rail services; and
• Identification of shared objectives and opportunities for collaboration and partnership.

Current Actions – Cross-Border Rail Discussion Group

Communication and Facilitation

This work area is supported by the:
TBWG Steering Committee

Objectives:
Ongoing functions of the Steering Committee include:

• Facilitate effective communications among TBWG members including the IMTC, Eastern Border Transportation Coalition (EBTC), Inland Border Working Group (IBWG), and with other border organizations including the U.S.-Mexico Joint Working Committee on Transportation Panning (JWC);
• Promote the TBWG as the principal government forum on Canada-U.S. transportation border issues;
• Organize semi-annual plenary meetings hosted alternately in Canada and the U.S;
• Provide conference planning documents on upcoming border meetings to facilitate planning, organizing, and increasing meeting attendance;
• Maintain an updated TBWG website; and
• Provide summaries of TBWG plenary meetings.

Current Actions – Communication and Facilitation