MDOT and City of Port Huron celebrate BWB plaza project milestones with groundbreaking and ribbon-cutting

PORT HURON, Mich. - As a direct result of years of coordination and collaboration, the Blue Water Bridge (BWB) plaza expansion project has met multiple milestones and now enters the next phase.

On Thursday, Aug. 6, Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) staff and local officials gathered to celebrate the start of Component 2 of the plaza expansion project and significant completion of Component 1. The work completed to date accomplished numerous benefits for the community, including reconfiguring the 10th Avenue/Pine Grove Avenue intersection, an element not originally planned for in the project scope.

MDOT BWB Administrator Amy Winn discussed the history of the plaza improvements on the Talking Michigan Transportation podcast ahead of the celebration, with today’s events also documented in a video news release posted to MDOT's YouTube channel.

"This has been a day that's long been in the making," said Winn. "We have been steadfast in our quest to ensure that we not only made improvements here to the plaza but that we really took into consideration the needs of the community."

Major construction on Component 2 is anticipated to start Monday, Aug. 10. This approximately $300 million investment will focus primarily on expanding and reconfiguring the southern portion of the plaza. Work will include building an outbound inspection facility for U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and relocating the tolling operation facilities, Duty Free Americas and local access ramp.

"At the end of the day, this is really about how we're meeting industry's needs, how we're meeting commuters' needs and, most importantly, how we are meeting the needs of residents here in the community," said State Transportation Director Bradley C. Wieferich.

This past May, crews began removing trees south of the plaza and west of Pine Grove Avenue to prepare the area for Component 2 (trees will later be replanted as part of the final stages of this work).

Traffic impacts on surface streets are expected to be minimal during Component 2. However, MDOT will notify the public in advance of any potential traffic restrictions, as needed.

"This is a big project we're talking about, with five years of construction," said Wieferich. "There's going to be a lot that goes on here but the end result is going to be amazing. Whether you're a commuter or a regular user, you're going to see amazing results when this is done."

Work began on Component 1 in spring 2025 and is substantially complete, with full completion anticipated this fall. This $36.3 million investment included relocating Exit 275, reconfiguring the 10th Avenue/Pine Grove Avenue intersection and rebuilding eastbound I-94/I-69 at the MDOT maintenance facility location. Additionally, the project involved installing noise walls along the eastbound I-94/I-69 exit to Pine Grove Avenue and along westbound I-94/I-69 Business Loop from Garfield Street south to the Black River bridge.

The newly completed Scott Avenue pedestrian pathway and greenspace is nestled next to the new noise walls, providing access to increased nonmotorized connectivity in Port Huron.

"It turned into a beautiful space for people to walk, to sit and to enjoy," said Port Huron Mayor Pro-Tem Sherry Archibald. "We really appreciate that and we look forward to working with (MDOT) in the future. We're excited to see what the next five years brings."

The BWB plaza expansion project is the completion of a larger corridor and expansion project that received a Record of Decision in 2009 following the National Environmental Pllicy Act (NEPA) review process. Funding shortfalls delayed plaza work, while other phases, including freeway rebuilding, replacing the Black River bridge and a new Welcome Center were completed. MDOT received a $25 million federal Infrastructure for Rebuilding America (INFRA) grant in 2020 to proceed with a reduced plaza expansion alternative that will minimize impacts on Pine Grove Avenue and still address the original project's purpose and need.

The project will provide safe, efficient and secure movement of people and goods across the U.S.-Canadian border in the Port Huron area to support the economies of Michigan, the United States, Ontario and Canada. It will also support the mobility and security needs associated with national and civil defense.

An aerial view of the newly rebuilt Pine Grove Connector ramp.

Local officials and MDOT staff celebrate the opening
of the Scott Avenue path and greenspace with a ribbon-cutting celebration.

An excavator used during the groundbreaking ceremony on Aug. 6
to commemorate the start of Component 2.