May 21, 2008 -- The final report of a two-year master planning study that identifies what a new expanded Sault Ste. Marie Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) plaza will look like was approved by the Joint International Bridge Authority (JIBA) on May 21.
The recommended alternative in the report calls for the expansion of the plaza to encompass the area located between Queen Street and Albert Street and between Huron Street and Carmens Way. In compliance with Canadian Environmental Assessment Act (CEAA), the master planning study was coordinated with an Environmental Assessment (EA) study of various expansion options considered as part of the project. The EA evaluated various plaza expansion alternatives for impacts on the cultural, socioeconomic, natural and archeological environment.
"We are pleased the recommended alternative was not only the most environmentally sound, but also was clearly the preferred alternative by the many citizens who attended one or both of the public meetings held to gather input as part of the EA study," said IBA General Manager Phil Becker. "Stakeholder groups such as the CBSA, city engineering and planning departments, and the multi-modal advisory group are also in agreement that the recommended alternative is the most operationally sound alternative," said Becker.
The estimated cost for the project is $40 million (Canadian) in current dollar value. Canadian law requires that the bridge owner and/or operator must pay to provide and maintain customs and immigration facilities at international crossings.
The International Bridge Administration (IBA), the bridge operator, is toll-funded and does not have the financial means to fund the much-needed project, based on current revenue forecasts.
The owner of the Canadian portion of the bridge is the Saint Marys River Bridge Company (SMRBC), a governmental body that has no independent revenue source and is working with Canadian government officials to secure the funds needed to move the project beyond the study phase.
"The IBA invested $330,000 (Canadian) in the study to learn what improvements are needed and what they will cost. Now all the IBA and stakeholder groups must do is identify the necessary funding to move forward to the construction phase," said Becker.
Sault Ste. Marie International Bridge: Bridging Our Past, Connecting Our Future
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