Oregon Public Broadcasting

Fears of huge backups at the Canadian border during the Winter Olympics are going unrealized.  Tom Banse found out why.

An event this big could've turned the freeway into a parking lot.  The Washington State Department of Transportation is closely monitoring the border crossings south of Vancouver, Canada. 

Spokesman Dave Chesson says travel to and from the Winter Olympics host city has been a breeze so far.

Dave Chesson: "Delays have been 10 minutes or less at all four of the border crossings pretty much since we got started with the Olympics.  So, everything's running smoothly."

Several factors seem to favor border crossers:  U.S. Customs and Border Protection says it has increased staffing by 20 percent. 

Construction work on border routes has been suspended during the Games.  Also, Americans bought fewer Olympic event tickets than originally anticipated. 

Finally, the Vancouver host committee has strongly promoted the use of public transportation.  In fact, there's no public parking at any of the competition venues.

Online:

Washington State Dept. of Transportation - Olympics Travel Info