Inauguration of improvements to Blue Water Bridge Canadian Plaza

Officials from the Federal Government and the bridge authority joined with community leaders and border agency representatives to celebrate the completion of improvements at the Blue Water Bridge, one of the country's busiest cross-border bridges.

Improvements to the Canadian Plaza are the result of a joint effort by the Government of Canada and Blue Water Bridge Canada, each of which has contributed up to $10 million to this major project.

The work involved widening the plaza to accommodate the widening of Highway 402. It also included constructing new Canada Border Services Agency inspection booths and installing a dynamic messaging system to provide real-time information to commercial and passenger traffic.

New storm water management pumping stations and improved communications, lighting and electrical systems have also been completed.

Federal funding for this project came from the Gateways and Border Crossings Fund. The much-needed stimulus will help reduce traffic congestion, facilitate local border crossings, and complement recent and planned investments by the U.S. on its side of the border.

With approximately 5,000 commercial vehicles crossing the bridge daily, it is Canada's second-busiest international commercial crossing for trucks and is the third busiest for total vehicles. This crossing is a key component of the Ontario-Quebec Continental Gateway and Trade Corridor.