The ongoing tariff dispute between Canada and the U.S. is not expected to impact the Michigan Department of Transportation's (MDOT) Blue Water Bridge plaza expansion project in Port Huron.
An open house to discuss the project was held last week with the first phase scheduled to begin this spring.
Senior Project Manager Carrie Warren told Sarnia News Today that they are monitoring the current tariff situation but do not expect the project to be affected "unless something unforeseen happens."
"We've identified our funding source and everything is fully funded. However, a contributor to that is our toll revenue," Warren said. "So if things change substantially, certainly, a conversation would have to be had, but right now, we aren't foreseeing that. It just hasn't appeared to have made a difference at all."
The project will be done in two phases. The first phase is estimated to cost approximately $40 million and the second phase is estimated at $300 million.
Warren said they expect to receive bids for the project's first phase in April with construction to follow sometime in May.
"We expect it to be substantially complete in 2025 but we do expect there to be some work that may linger over into the spring of 2026," said Warren.
"The first phase of the project entails the relocation of the Pine Grove connector, which is the ramp from I-94 to Pine Grove Avenue being moved to the south; a reconfiguration of Pine Grove Avenue and 10th Avenue, just outside the Blue Water Bridge plaza; the installation of noise walls on the south and west side of the plaza; and some minor reconfigurations out of the freeway approaching the plaza."
The second phase of the project will involve an expansion of the plaza itself, the relocation of the duty-free America store, the relocation of the tolling operation to the west side of the plaza, and the construction of a new outbound inspection facility for U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
Warren said they expect to award a contract for the second phase by March 2026.
"As construction begins, we expect it to be two, possibly three years," Warren said. "The reason for that is we're prioritizing safe, efficient operations at the international border over speed of construction so we're going to take the time we need to ensure that operations can proceed as seamlessly as possible."
Warren said MDOT will do what it can to minimize possible disruptions to cross-border traffic, noting that construction will not take place on the bridge itself.
Further details about the project are expected to be posted online.