November 29, 2006 -- The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), in conjunction with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and U.S. General Services Administration (GSA), have identified Practical Alternative 4 (PA-4) as the alternative that appears to best meet the needs of the key federal agencies involved in the expansion of the Blue Water Bridge Plaza.
The decision was based upon analysis completed to date and extensive input provided by CBP, GSA, local stakeholders and the public. The footprint for PA-4 will require approximately 50 acres of residential and commercial land, in addition to the 18 acres currently occupied by the existing Blue Water Bridge Plaza. Additional commercial and residential land would be used for local road improvements, including rerouting Pine Grove Avenue to the west of the existing plaza. PA-4 will bring the plaza to ground level, which will reduce impacts and allow more flexibility on the plaza.
"At this time, MDOT believes PA-4 is the most suitable alternative for accommodating both existing and future international border traffic," said State Transportation Director Kirk Steudle.
Although the four government agencies currently prefer PA-4 over the other alternatives previously identified, the environmental process allows for changes to occur in the PA-4 layout during the remaining environmental clearance and design phases. MDOT is continuing to move forward in developing the draft environmental impact statement (EIS) for the study. MDOT, FHWA, CBP and GSA may select another studied Practical Alternative as the Preferred Alternative if issues arise during the completion of the environmental process that would make the selection of PA-4 unacceptable to those agencies.
The next steps for this project include completing the EIS and identifying the Preferred Alternative. A public hearing is planned for the summer of 2007 to give the public an opportunity to ask questions and comment on the Preferred Alternative.
Questions and comments received at the public hearing will be responded to in the Final Environmental Impact Statement to be released in April 2008, followed by a Record of Decision in August 2008. A Record of Decision formally ends the environmental study process and allows the project to proceed to final design, right-of-way acquisition, and construction.
"MDOT will continue to work with its federal, state, and local transportation partners throughout the remaining environmental clearance and design phases to ensure that the impacts of this significant project are minimized to the greatest extent possible," said Steudle.
More information regarding the Blue Water Bridge Plaza Study is available online at the project Web site at www.michigan.gov/mdotstudies and its toll-free number at 800-955-3515.
Keep Michigan families safe this winter season: Don't Crowd the Plow!
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