PORT HURON

MDOT revives plaza plan, seeks $50M grant

Beth LeBlanc
Lansing State Journal
Vehicles travel across the Blue Water Bridges Wednesday, April 27, 2016 in Port Huron. MDOT is applying for $50 million in federal grant money to fund the delayed plaza expansion project.

The Michigan Department of Transportation will apply for about $50 million in federal grant money to fund the long-delayed Blue Water Bridge plaza expansion.

The project, which required the demolition of more than 100 properties around the bridge, has been stalled since 2010 due to lack of federal funding.

The $50 million Transportation Investment-Generating Economic Recovery grant would be a little less than a third of the $165 million cost estimated for the project in MDOT’s 2009 record of decision, said Kelby Wallace, senior project manager for MDOT.

Wallace said if the agency receives the grant, MDOT would review other funding opportunities as well as the 2009 plan for the project.

“We’re going to be looking for other sources,” Wallace said. “We have to look to see if there’s a chunk of the project we could do.

“Could we find a smaller piece, or would we be able to find other sources of funding to fill that gap?”

Vehicles travel across the Blue Water Bridges Wednesday, April 27, 2016 in Port Huron. MDOT is applying for $50 million in federal grant money to fund the delayed plaza expansion project. Land that was vacated for the project is seen in the background along 10th Avenue.

Plans for an expansion of the Blue Water Bridge plaza began with a study in 2002; a final environmental impact statement was released in 2009.

In 2010, Customs and Border Protection informed MDOT it did not have the necessary funding for the project. Since then the project has been unable to secure federal funding, even after it was listed as a priority in the 2011 Beyond the Border agreement.

Congresswoman Candice Miller wrote a letter of support to accompany the application. Miller, who has long pressed for funding for the project, said the years of delay have been frustrating.

“There’s no sugar-coating it,” Miller said. “That’s why I had (Homeland Security Secretary) Jeh Johnson come out physically.

“We stood there on the footprint of the plaza and looked at all this vacant land so he could really understand what this did to the city.”

Port Huron Mayor Pauline Repp said the project would be a boon for the economy, bridge traffic, and the city as a whole.

"They bought up a lot of property and have not used it and that decimated part of our tax base," Repp said.

"I think it would be nice if they carried through and finished what they started...You really can't plan for any future development of that area."

Wallace said MDOT received a TIGER grant in 2011 for $30 million for reconstruction of the freeway and Interstate 94 bridge over the Black River.

MDOT applied for TIGER funding for the Blue Water Bridge plaza expansion in 2012 but was unsuccessful.

Vehicles travel across the Blue Water Bridges Wednesday, April 27, 2016 in Port Huron. MDOT is applying for $50 million in federal grant money to fund the delayed plaza expansion project. Land that was vacated for the project is seen across Pine Grove Avenue.

TIGER grants are funded by the U.S. Department of Transportation. Wallace said the competitive program accepts applications from all over the U.S. and has a total of $500 million available this year.

“We’re trying to explore as many options as we can,” Wallace said.

“It seems enough time has passed since our last application. We still think it’s an important project due to the amount of traffic that passes over the bridge.”

Wallace said there’s no timeline for the U.S. Department of Transportation to respond, but he said usually the agency decides by late summer. MDOT plans to submit its application at the end of this week.

Regardless of where or if the agency finds funding, the plan for the project will need to be reviewed, Wallace said.

“Because so much time has passed, we don’t know what exactly CBP current technology needs are,” he said.

“The footprint would remain the same. But there could be some revisions to layout, equipment and buildings.”

Plans for the plaza expansion began to form after Sept. 11, 2001. Wallace said, 15 years later, shortcomings such as capacity, technology, security and safety still need to be addressed.

“Part of the reason is the continued growth of trade and traffic we’re going to continue to see,” Wallace said. “We need additional room to handle more vehicles and to provide more facilities to do inspections.”

Wallace said 13 different agencies and government officials wrote letters of support for the TIGER grant.

City Manager James Freed said the project would serve as an economic stimulus during construction and pave the way for more Canadian visitors.

Vehicles travel across the Blue Water Bridges Wednesday, April 27, 2016 in Port Huron. MDOT is applying for $50 million in federal grant money to fund the delayed plaza expansion project.

“It’s becoming very difficult for us to update our city’s master plan when we have no idea what that thing’s going to look like,” Freed said.

“We also rely on the Canadian market. Getting faster crossing times and making it easier for Canadians to get to our marketplace is incredibly important.”

Should funding remain elusive, Miller said the city and state should have a conversation about what happens with the vacant land in the footprint of the planned expansion.

“MDOT actually owns the land there now,” Miller said.

“At some point in the not too far future, MDOT needs to think about how the city can best optimize the utilization of the land.”

Contact Beth LeBlanc at (810) 989-6259 or eleblanc@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @THBethLeBlanc.

Blue Water Bridge Plaza Expansion

2002: Plaza study begins.

Fall 2003: Residents are presented with seven options for the Blue Water Bridge Plaza, grouped in four categories: Do nothing, expand the plaza where it is, bring the plaza down to ground level or relocate it to Port Huron Township.

May 2004: MDOT releases three options: Alternative 1 would have expanded the current elevated plaza. Alternative 2 would have expanded the plaza at its current location, but at ground level. Pine Grove Avenue would have been rerouted to the east. Alternative 3 would have moved most customs operations west to Port Huron Township.

June 2008: MDOT scales back plans by 8 acres to 57.

February 2009: Plaza becomes "megaproject."

March 2009: Final environmental impact statement released.

Summer 2009: MDOT submits request for lease financing and capital funds for plaza improvements to General Services Administration.

Winter 2009-10: GSA coordinates proposal with other federal agencies on the plaza.

Spring-summer 2010: Customs and Border Protection informs MDOT it does not have necessary funding.

Fall 2010: CBP and GSA agree to reduced plaza expansion. MDOT stops acquiring more property.

December 2010: MDOT and CBP announce reduced plaza plans to 16 acres.

Summer 2011: GSA completes feasibility study for smaller plaza.

January 2013: U.S. Customs and Border Protection does not include project in five-year plan.