WCAX.COM Local Vermont News, Weather and Sports-New Border Gates Secure Two Derby Line Streets

New Border Gates Secure Two Derby Line Streets

Derby Line, Vermont - October 1, 2009

The international border between Derby Line in Vermont's Northeast Kingdom and the town of Stanstead in Quebec is a bit more secure. The U.S. and Canada have installed security gates on two unguarded streets.

The village of Derby Line and Stanstead just down the street are unique. They share an international border that up until now has been wide open, except for two sets of U.S. and Canadian crossings. Until both countries agreed to put up security gates on two side streets, anyone could drive right across without stopping.

Peter Dunbar with the U.S. Border Patrol told WCAX News, "This is an area where there's access, ready access, to the actual border from both the U.S. and Canada. A vehicle can enter the U.S. through one of these unguarded streets, or could have entered the U.S. through one of these unguarded streets, and then make a ready departure from the area either through the Interstate or through U.S. Five."

Obviously, the barriers won't stop pedestrians. But residents of the neighborhood -- on both sides of the border -- by and large have lived here for generations. Anyone who doesn't fit in the neighborhood is likely to be the subject of a call to either American or Canadian border officials.

The gates on both streets will block unauthorized vehicle traffic. An exception is Derby Line's public works department. In the winter, a village snowplow clears both international streets -- and has permission to enter Quebec directly so the truck can turn around.

Derby Line Public Works director Brian Fletcher said, "They're telling us they're going to give us a remote to carry in the plow truck. When we get to this point here, we'll be able to open the gates, pass through, turn around in Canada like we have to do, and come back out. And shut the gate behind us."

The change puts an end to a long tradition. Derby Line and Stanstead historically have been as close as you can get to being one municipality. The library straddles the border, and residents hardly give a thought to which country they're in at any given moment. But in this case, security took priority.

Andy Potter - WCAX News