By Bert Gambini
Buffalo, NY – The new Peace Bridge Customs plaza will be significantly smaller than originally proposed. And, with the announcement Thursday, officials also abandoned all plans for a new bridge to either replace or augment the existing span.
United States Congressman Brian Higgins confirmed Wednesday that the new design scales back the plan by roughly 12 acres. Despite the smaller footprint, the Plaza, will still however, provide for seven additional inspection booths, but requires the acquisition of only one property on the site.
Higgins said consensus on the smaller Plaza puts real steam behind a project so critical to the economic relationship between Western New York and Southern Ontario.
But Higgins said he had hoped for a Plaza and signature bridge that would have created a true gateway to Buffalo.