On the 1891 opening of the New Westminster and Southern Railway, controlled by the
Great Northern Railway (GN), a border inspection station was established about west of the present crossing. When the GN relocated its track via
White Rock in 1909, the border station moved westward creating the present
Peace Arch Border Crossing. In 1913, a road was built along the former GN right-of-way (present Highway 15) to connect with the Yale Road (present Fraser Highway), which created an important road link between Vancouver and the border. That year, A.K. Westland became the inaugural officer at this new port of entry. He operated from a tent at the side of the road, which was replaced months later by a gabled wooden building. In 1923, an official ceremony commemorated the cement surfacing of the Canadian section of the
Pacific Highway. To handle increased traffic through the crossing, the customs office was enlarged, which included a two-bedroom upstairs suite. Vehicle crash damage to the closed gates, which barred entry from midnight to 8am, led to their replacement with sensors. In 1937, the customs and immigration building was replaced by a Tudor-revival style structure. By 1944, this was the third busiest crossing in Canada. In 1953, a freight warehouse, truck bays and bus terminal were added. The 1937 building continued to handle auto traffic prior to replacement in 1986. The Port of New Westminster provided administrative oversight until the status was upgraded to an independent port in 1938. Vehicle inspections at the crossing have discovered various amounts of cocaine being trafficked illegally over the border, including in 2008, in 2009, in 2013, in 2016, and (million) in 2021. In 2022, protesting truck drivers seeking to end public health measures related to the
COVID-19 pandemic blockaded the crossing for a few days. ==US side==