Gov. Rick Snyder told a business conference in Grand Rapids today that he expects the new international border crossing between Detroit and Ontario will provide a boost to the entire Michigan economy.
The bridge will be largely financed by the Canadian government, which agreed to pay for both sides of the bridge after the Michigan Legislature balked at funding the project. However, Snyder believes it to be the United States' responsibility to to pick up the costs of the U.S. customs plaza.
“To ask the Canadians to pay for a facility that the U.S. government’s going to use with U.S. officials to protect the U.S. border – I don’t think that’s right," Snyder said. "I think that should be a responsibility of the U.S. government.”
Snyder says another reason for the U.S. government to fund the customs plaza is that it will create jobs. “This is a border issue that would result in, theoretically, thousands and thousands of new jobs," Snyder said. "So it should be justifiable that the U.S. government would invest in it.”
The governor says he still expects the customs plaza to be funded and built in time for the New International Trade Crossing to be operational by 2020.
