[LINK] "Windsor-Detroit border project needs $250M from U.S."

[rfmcdonald]

I've been following the ongoing issues surrounding the ideologically-driven reluctance of the responsible parties in the United States to build a second bridge to serve the needs of the Detroit-Windsor conurbation straddling the Ontario-Michigan border. This CBC report doesn't reassure me.

(Does the United States want Canada to take over Detroit?)

Canadian poiticians and border critics want U.S. President Barack Obama’s to include $250 million US in his next budget for a new customs plaza in Detroit.

It's one of the biggest and most critical pieces of infrastructure needed in a new international crossing between Windsor, Ont., and Detroit, Mich.

Canada has pledged to pay for the entire $1-billion span and property acquisition in Detroit, but wants the U.S. to pay for and build a new $250-million customs plaza in Detroit.

Last month, Ottawa dedicated $630 million for property acquisitions in Detroit and preparatory construction work.

Roy Norton, Canada's consul general in Detroit, said “all of the other hurdles have been overcome” in moving forward with a new bridge.

Last year, Obama issued a presidential permit for the bridge. Only America's commitment to a new customs plaza is lacking.

“There’s no formal commitment on the part of the U.S. government to fund that customs plaza,” Norton said.

Earlier this month, Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder said the U.S. Department of Homeland Security had failed to commit to funding for the plaza on the U.S. side. He called it a major hurdle in the construction of the crossing.

In an effort to force the funding, U.S. Representative Gary Peters introduced the Customs Plaza Construction Act of 2014. It calls on Washington to commit $250 million to the new plaza.

"This budget could be a logical opportunity to do that,” Norton said.