WASHINGTON DC – President Barack Obama’s budget contains no direct funding to build the U.S. customs plaza at the new bridge connecting Detroit and Windsor, Ontario, but there is a pool of $486 million for customs and border protection construction and facilities management that backers of the new bridge said Michigan’s congressional delegation should target for the new plaza.
Governor Rick Snyder and U.S. Rep. Gary Peters had urged the Obama administration to put funding for the plaza in the budget. Mr. Snyder has criticized the federal government for what he says is resistance toward providing federal money for the plaza despite Canada paying for the rest of the project.
The lack of a specific proposed appropriation for the plaza disappointed Mr. Peters (D-Bloomfield Township). Other bridge supporters said, however, that the money for customs and border protection construction – while available for projects across the nation – is a positive sign. Snyder press secretary Sara Wurfel said the $486 million would be a $7 million increase from the current fiscal year and a $255 million increase from the 2012-13 fiscal year.
“The governor is pleased to see the Obama administration’s proposal for additional funding dedicated to construction and facilities management for Customs and Border Protection,” Wurfel said in an email. “He will continue to work with the White House and Congress to secure the specific and necessary funding for construction and improvements along the northern border in both Detroit for the NITC and in Port Huron for the Blue Water Bridge.”
Michigan supporters have labeled the new bridge the New International Trade Crossing. Canadian supporters have called it the Detroit River International Crossing.
Wurfel said Snyder still considers the crossing “on track and well underway.”
Tom Shields, spokesperson for the backers of the new bridge, said Obama’s budget represented good news. Now Michigan’s congressional delegation needs to apply pressure to ensure some of the $486 million goes toward the new customs plaza in Detroit.
“It’s a positive step to have this money in,” he said. “It will take due diligence of Michigan supporters and the congressional delegation to make sure some portion of that flows to the NITC project.”
Peters, however, voiced criticism of the lack of specific funding, saying the project is critical for the nation’s economy and export capability.
“I am disappointed that the President’s budget has failed to fund one of the most critical infrastructure projects for Michigan and the U.S. economy, a new customs plaza at the Detroit-Windsor border,” he said in a statement. “The decision to not prioritize this project in the budget was a grave oversight, but we can continue to work together to make this customs plaza a reality. I look forward to working with Governor Snyder and members of the Michigan delegation to prioritize the NITC.”
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