Sault Ste. Marie MP Tony Martin said long-awaited federal funding for the expansion of the plaza on the Canadian side of the International Bridge is “imminent.”
“This will be great news for Sault Ste. Marie as we slowly recover from the recession,” said Martin in a statement.
Martin has been lobbying in Ottawa for bridge funding since 2006, by sending letters and meeting with then-Transport Minister Lawrence Cannon in identifying the bridge plaza as an “excellent candidate for the new Gateways and Border Crossing Fund.”
He followed that effort with a meeting last year with Federal Bridge Corporation President Micheline Dube.
Upgrading the customs plaza has been identified by the bridge authority as a priority project for the 4.5-kilometre span which is jointly operated by the State of Michigan and the Federal Bridge Corp. in Ottawa.
The International Bridge Authority filed a $50-million funding application to Transport Canada.
The funding would cover all the costs associated with redeveloping the Canada Customs inspection stations with new security features and improve the property to link up directly with the city's truck corridor.
