No. H 105/09
For release - July 20, 2009
Photo(s)
WINDSOR, ONTARIO — The Government of Canada announced today that it has purchased approximately 94 acres of land from the City of Windsor as an important step forward in building the new border crossing between Windsor and Detroit. The land has been purchased to build the new Canadian inspection plaza and Canada's portion of the six-lane bridge.
Jeff Watson, Member of Parliament for Windsor-Essex made the announcement on behalf of John Baird, Canada's Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities. In attendance was Windsor Mayor Eddie Francis.
"With this land purchase, the Government of Canada is another step closer to completing a new border crossing system between Windsor and Detroit," said MP Watson. "This border project will generate thousands of much-needed jobs and economic activity for this region, and will enable a smarter, more efficient flow of trade and travel between our two countries for generations to come."
"This is a testament to the good working relationship we have developed with the federal government", said Windsor Mayor Eddie Francis. "Brighton Beach was the community's preferred choice for the new bridge and plaza and we are very pleased that the City of Windsor has been able to assist and facilitate progress on the future construction of this vital economic link between Canada and the U.S."
The proposed Canadian inspection plaza will have a surface area of about 139 acres, making it one of largest in North America. It will include significant green space to provide a buffer between the surrounding community and the inspection operations area. The size of the plaza will also allow for growth to respond to future border initiatives and traffic increases. The Government of Canada purchased the land for $34 million, through its federal Gateways and Border Crossings Fund.
This land purchase represents the largest single block of land needed to build a new inspection plaza and six-lane bridge. An additional 108 acres of land is still required and the Government of Canada continues negotiating property acquisitions with individual residential and industrial landowners.
A backgrounder with information about the Detroit River International Crossing (DRIC) project and details of the preliminary design of the Canadian inspection plaza is attached.
– 30 –
Transport Canada is online at www.tc.gc.ca. Subscribe to news releases and speeches at www.tc.gc.ca/e-news and keep up-to-date on the latest from Transport Canada.
This news release may be made available in alternative formats for persons living with visual disabilities.
The Detroit River International Crossing (DRIC) project
To protect and enhance the movement of international trade and travel across our shared border, the governments of Canada, the United States, Ontario and Michigan are moving forward in a bi-national partnership to implement a long-term transportation strategy. The goal of this strategy is to meet projected transportation and mobility needs of the area, including free and secure trade, minimizing environmental and community impacts, and providing system redundancy and competition. The result of this ambitious project will be a modern, secure and efficient border crossing system that will include a new six-lane bridge, providing three Canada-bound lanes and three U.S.-bound lanes across the Detroit River, modern border inspection plazas and direct freeway access in both Ontario and Michigan. The new crossing will accommodate future travel demand, both in terms of meeting needed capacity and providing redundancy and flexibility to stream traffic to improve border processing.
In addition to the long-term economic, security, and environmental benefits, construction of a major infrastructure project of this size will generate thousands of jobs and much needed economic activity on both sides of the border in the short-term.
The Canadian inspection plaza
The Canadian inspection plaza is bounded by Broadway Street on the south side; Chappus Street on the north side; the Detroit River on the west side; and the Essex Terminal Railway line on the east side.
The plaza will have a surface area of about 139 acres, making this inspection plaza one of the largest in North America. The property footprint allows for a state-of-the-art plaza designed to improve border operations and processing capabilities as well as other services such as a duty-free shop. The plaza will also have enough space to provide a buffer, ranging from 5 to 30 meters, between the surrounding community with features such as berms and landscaping; lighting shields to minimize the impact of night time light intrusion; and storm management ponds. The size of the plaza also provides for future border initiatives and traffic growth.
The entire inspection plaza campus will be designed to a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold standard. The final plaza designs will be determined in consultation with the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), and other stakeholders.
Note: Information in the above chart is preliminary and subject to change.
July 2009
