The Greater Fort Erie Chamber of Commerce

PUBLIC SESSIONS SCHEDULED ON PEACE BRIDGE PROJECT
Six Open Houses in Buffalo and Fort Erie to Update Public on Project

The Buffalo and Fort Erie Public Bridge Authority (PBA),in concert with the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) will host a series of six open houses from January 28 to February 6, 2010, to update and inform the public about proposals and design concepts for the construction of a new U.S. Department of Homeland Security Plaza and a new, companion bridge spanning the Niagara River between Buffalo, New York and Fort Erie, Ontario, Canada.

The purpose of the project is to improve the operation and functionality of the critical international border crossing by constructing a new, modern Customs plaza and additional bridge lane capacity to facilitate expedited border crossing programs and to accommodate long term traffic growth.

Responding to earlier concerns about the need for a signature bridge design concept that more appropriately considers fish and resident and migrating bird populations, the project team has developed five signature bridge design concepts, in consultation with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) as well as Canadian and U.S. environmental agencies. The environmental agencies have deemed all five concepts acceptable.

The upcoming public meetings, which will be conducted as informational open houses, will provide details of those bridge designs and updated proposals for the border crossing plaza and other area improvements. The sessions also will give the public opportunities to share their preferences and concerns with the project team.

The first three sessions will be held in Buffalo at the New York State Armory, located at 184 Connecticut Street, from 2:00 P.M. to 8:00 P.M. on Thursday, January 28 and Friday, January 29, and from 10:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. on Saturday, January 30, 2010.

The second round of meetings will be held at the Peace Bridge Authority Board Room, 100 Queen Street, Fort Erie, Ontario. Canada's sessions will be held from 2:00 P.M. to 8:00 P.M. on Thursday, February 4 and Friday, February 5, and from 10:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. on Saturday, February 6, 2010.

The PBA and NYSDOT are in the final stages of developing the environmental impact statement for the project. Public comments collected during those sessions will be incorporated into the project record and the decision on which bridge design concept to advance in the Final Environmental Impact Statement will take into consideration all comments received. The decision will be issued later this year.

For more information on these meetings or for special accommodation to attend, please call the Peace Bridge Authority office at 716-884-6744 or look online via www.peacebridgex.com

The Peace Bridge, which was opened to traffic in 1927, has been owned and operated by the PBA since 1933. The Authority is governed by a 10-member board with an equal number of representatives from Canada and the United States. NYSDOT is the lead state agency for this project and is working co-operatively with the PBA in advancing this project.

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Buffalo and Fort Erie Public Bridge Authority
1 Peace Bridge Plaza, Buffalo, NY 14213-2494
100 Queen Street, Fort Erie, ON L2A 3S6
905-871-1608 or 716-884-6744 Fax: 716-884-2089 or 905-871-9940
www.peacebridge.com