Customs and Border Protection is joining with the International Bridge Administration and GSA to announce that work to widen the pavement between the south end of the Sault Ste. Marie International Bridge and the CBP primary inspection booths has been completed.
“This project has already provided improved efficiency in the flow of traffic,” stated Devin Chamberlain, CBP Port Director. “Commercial trucks are taking advantage of the additional space in the lower queue, providing room for passenger vehicles on the upper plaza.”
The goal of this $1,087,695 (USD) project, federally funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, was to mitigate the “bottleneck” created when southbound trucks prevent southbound passenger vehicles from accessing the CBP inspection booths. This has been accomplished by widening the pavement between the end of the bridge and the inspection booths, allowing more space for trucks awaiting inspection.
“This project will improve bridge customer safety and bridge traffic efficiency by getting trucks off the bridge and onto separate queuing lanes,” stated Phil Becker, the manager of the International Bridge Administration, the public agency responsible for the operation and maintenance of the bridge structure. “The truck 'bottleneck' was, by far, the biggest concern we heard from our customers.”
