WASHINGTON, D.C. — The American Department of Transport (DOT) is asking for advice on how to cut down border congestion.

According to the official publication of the American Trucking Associations (ATA), Tranport Topics, the DOT is requesting proposals as of this week.

“It’s time to put an end to the kind of delays that keep families and businesses at a standstill at our borders,” Transportation Secretary Mary Peters said.

Peters said the DOT would select at least two projects each, along the Canadian and Mexican borders. Despite the less than robust economies, the value of freight shipments going across the American, Canadian and Mexican borders has risen by an average of eight percent per year.

Peters cautioned though, that this increasing demand was leading to longer delays at the crossings. Last year, U.S.-bound traffic from Canada experienced delays up to three hours at many crossings, costing businesses more than $14 billion annually. On the Mexico side, San Diego County alone loses $271 million in annual revenue due to delays at the border, she said.