Second blockade snarls Alberta border traffic for sixth day

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RCMP say a second blockade on a highway near the Coutts border crossing in Alberta has snarled up traffic for the sixth day, according to news reports Thursday.

RCMP Cpl. Curtis Peters said, “Protesters have stopped traffic from going southbound on Highway 4. There’s a crowd there. We are advising the public to avoid the area again.”

Aerial view of blockade
Aerial view of the blockade near the Coutts border crossing in Alberta on Tuesday. (Photo: Alberta RCMP)

There was a breakthrough on Wednesday to resolve the blockade that has been in place since Saturday, with protesters agreeing to open one lane on each side of the highway near the U.S. border. Trucks and other vehicles had begun clearing two lanes — one going north and one going south.

Reports said the new blockade is about 18 kilometres north of Coutts and, although numbers have reduced since Wednesday night, there were still commercial vehicles, heavy equipment and trucks blocking the road on Thursday.

Alberta RCMP indicate that U.S. bound vehicles, U.S. citizens and residents of Coutts who were stopped at the blockade on Hwy 4 at Hwy 501 are currently being permitted through the blockade. It is a slow process at this time. Motorists are still being asked to avoid the area,” Alberta RCMP tweeted Thursday.

RCMP said Wednesday night that officers would be providing escorts to anyone needing to get through the blockade. “It kind of choked off,” said Peters. “We did escort some south. I don’t know how many. I would say it’s certainly unfortunate for the people of Coutts and for those needing to cross the border.”

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Leo Barros is the associate editor of Today’s Trucking. He has been a journalist for more than two decades, holds a CDL and has worked as a longhaul truck driver. Reach him at leo@newcom.ca