Feds announce plans to modernize Lacolle border crossing

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BOUCHERVILLE, QC – Ottawa has announced federal funding to expand and modernize the Lacolle Border Crossing.

Denis Lebel, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, announced the government will be investing up to $47 million in infrastructure improvements to the Lacolle Border Crossing.

Critical for Canada-U.S. trade, the Lacolle, Quebec-Champlain, New York border crossing saw over $21 billion in two-way trade in 2012. Lacolle is an equally important crossing for travellers, with more than 780,000 cars and buses entering Canada through this point last year.

“The redevelopment project at Lacolle provides an opportunity to expedite the flow of traffic through the border by expanding and modernizing the current infrastructure,” Lebel said.

The announcement follows through on commitments in the Beyond the Border Action Plan announced by Prime Minister Stephen Harper and US President Barack Obama in December 2011.

The Government of Canada has allocated new funding for the Lacolle improvements in Budget 2013. Funding will flow through the Gateways and Border Crossings Fund. The $2.1-billion Gateways and Border Crossings Fund (GBCF) is a program used to improve the flow of goods and people between Canada and the rest of the world. GBCF infrastructure funding targets projects that increase the productivity and efficiency of strategic transportation assets of national significance, such as bridges, roads and ports, which are part of international gateways, strategic trade corridors and key land border crossings.

The project is among key border crossings identified in the Beyond the Border Action Plan which was established with the United States to enhance mutual security, prosperity and economic competitiveness. The action plan focuses on four areas:  addressing threats early; facilitating trade, economic growth and jobs; integrating cross border law enforcement; and strengthening critical infrastructure and cyber security.

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