Neche–Gretna Border Crossing
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The surrounding flat and low lying land exposes the location to frequent flooding. The raised road prevents water from encroaching onto the Canadian side, but the US side is not so fortunate. This crossing is frequently closed due to flooding of the Pembina River, most recently in 2009, 2011, 2013, and 2017.
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Canadian side
By 1877, a customs office existed at Smuggler's Point (later called Spencerville), which was estimated to be 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) west of the present crossing. This office closed in 1882. That year, the Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) connected with the St. Paul, Minneapolis, & Manitoba Railway, the forerunner of the Great Northern Railway (GN), at Gretna.
One of the oldest customs offices in the province, Gretna was established in 1883 under the administrative oversight of the Port of Emerson. The earliest activity was highway traffic, but the arrival of the railway changed the principal role. In 1889, Gretna was transferred to the oversight of the Port of Winnipeg. In 1907, the status was upgraded to Port of Gretna. The prior year, the Midland Railway of Manitoba had built a Portage la Prairie–Neche rail line. In 1909, GN acquired this railway, but the line closed in the mid-1920s.
The Gretna border station was built in 1982. A rebuild plan issued in 2017 has yet to be finalized.
In 2020, the former border hours of 8am–10pm reduced, becoming 8am–4pm.
US side
The Smuggler's Point customs office may have predated the corresponding Canadian one. Up to the 1930s, harvested grain flowed southward via the GN in bond before re-entering Canada. The US border station of Neche, which was built in 1965, was replaced by a new facility in 2012.
In 2020, opening hours reduced, becoming 8am–4pm.