WASHINGTON – U.S. Congresswoman Candice Miller (MI-10) today commended U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood for announcing the awarding of $30 Million to Michigan Department of Transportation to construct a new Black River Bridge, replacing the current structure which was built in 1963. The Black River Bridge is an important artery bridge crossing the Black River and linking traffic lanes to and from the Blue Water Bridge, which connects Port Huron, Michigan to Sarnia, Ontario.

“The Black River Bridge has been a longstanding transportation passageway in Port Huron and serves many local residents and supports four percent of the international business between the United States and Canada,” Miller said. “The I-69/94 corridor, including the current Black River Bridge, is one of the most dangerous in all of St. Clair County and has caused dozens of fatalities and injuries in recent years. The new bridge will significantly provide more room for merging traffic, eliminate weaving traffic and separate local traffic from traffic heading to Canada, resulting in a safer road and fewer accidents. This important artery bridge will improve the day-to-day international trade between our two nations, and further support our local community and our state.”

“Since the initial discussion of a stimulus bill over a year ago, I’ve been encouraging Secretary LaHood to support this much needed project. It is precisely the type of project that the stimulus bill should target for funding and providing support to areas around the nation, like ours who hold the highest unemployment in the nation and need the assistance more than ever,” said Miller. “I did vote against the overall stimulus bill because it was filled with outrageous spending which now has become an additional national debt that we are sharing with our children and grandchildren. The effects of the stimulus program have been negligible. Funding important infrastructure projects like this will help put people back to work and ensure that hard hit states like Michigan get their fair share of funding.”

The new Black River Bridge will provide three dedicated lanes for eastbound local traffic, three dedicated lanes for eastbound international traffic headed to the Blue Water Bridge and Canada, and three westbound lanes. This improvement will reduces border crossing delays and improves commercial and passenger travel between the United States and Canada. In addition, the new bridge will include a 14-foot wide bike/pedestrian crossing allowing for safe access across the Black River for pedestrians and bicyclists alike.

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