18 December 2004
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Previous articles in the Peace Bridge ChroniclesBruce Jackson
New U.S.-Canada border inspection agreement marks major advance in Peace Bridge expansion project
The U.S. and Canada have reached an important border agreement that will permit shifting all inspection facilities now on the Buffalo side of the Peace Bridge to Fort Erie, where there is a great deal more room for these operations.
This international agreement, coming a few weeks after the Buffalo and Fort Erie Public Bridge Authority decided to abandon its stalled public design process and move instead to a traditional design competition, is a critical step in the development of a dramatic international gateway in Buffalo.
The agreement will make design options for the new bridge far more flexible, permit restoration of much of Frederick Law Olmsted's Front Part (much of which has been mostly consumed by the current bridge plaza, leaving the rest virtually inaccessible, and unpleasant to be in in because of the huge amount of idling trucks adjacent to it), and will make the design of an international gateway on the U.S. side possible for the first time. Since this agreement significantly reduces the footprint of any future U.S. plaza, it decreases the likelihood that homes and business in the area of the new U.S. plaza will be taken by condemnation.
Senator Charles Schumer, a longtime advocate of a signature bridge at this border crossing and international gateway, was a key player in getting the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade to agree on shifting Customs, Immigration, Agriculture and other inspection facilities to Canada. He has been preaching about the utility of the shift and lobbying Homeland Security for it for over two years. Former Peace Bridge expansion project head Vincent "Jake" Lamb, Buffalo Mayor Anthony Masiello and the New Millennium Group have also been consistent advocates for the plan, usually referred to as cross-border management.
The agreement has long-term implications for the Peace Bridge expansion project, but it will have short-term consequences as well. Since there will be no more stopping or idling trucks on the American plaza, the border crossing will be faster coming into the US (where most of the delays now occur) and air and noise pollution on Buffalo's West Side should be significantly reduced.
Here are the press releases from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade:
Department of Homeland Security: Ridge and McLellan to Move Forward with Land Clearance Pilots (17 December 2004)
Department of Homeland Security: Remarks by Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge at a Press Conference with Canadian Deputy Prime Minister Anne McLellan (17 December 2004)
Department of Homeland Security: Joint U.S.-Canada Agreement for Land Pre-Clearance Pilots (17 December 2004)
Canada Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade: McLellan and Ridge to Move Forward With Land Preclearance Projects (17 December 2004)
Canada Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade: Joint U.S.-Canada Framework for Land Preclearance Projects (17 December 2004)
Canada Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade: Fifth Canada Border Action Plan Status Report (17 December 2004)
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