Brian on the Issues
Back
Peace Bridge
 

The Time for Action is Now
 
The people of Western New York have had close relationships with our Canadian neighbors for hundreds of years.  Our communities are woven together and our economies are interdependent.  Seventy-eight years ago this cooperative spirit resulted in the construction of the Peace Bridge between Buffalo, New York and Fort Erie, Ontario. 

The Peace Bridge is the second busiest passenger vehicle crossing and the third busiest commercial crossing between the United States and Canada.  The commerce facilitated by this bridge is absolutely critical to the vulnerable Western New York economy.  Yet this vital piece of infrastructure has been in dire need of enhanced capacity for some time. 
 
Yet the project has experienced several setbacks in recent years.  Brian was a strong supporter of Shared Border Management, an innovative proposal in which the American customs plaza would have been located on the Canadian side of the bridge.  Unfortunately, despite years of negociation, the U.S. and Candaian governments were unable to agree on the security policies that would govern the American plaza in Canada, and in April 2007 Shared Bordfer Management was declared dead by the Department of Homeland Security. 

More recently, the Federal Highway Administration and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service indicated that the tall, sweeping design of the proposed new span posed a risk to migratory birds on the Niagara River corridor, and that moving forward with a “signature span” would require up to two tyears of study on its impact on birds.  Brian, along with his Western New York colleagues, immediately convened a meeting of federal and state officials to find a solution that allows the signature span to move forward without delay. 
 
Delay on this project has, regrettably, become all too familiar.  But Western New York cannot afford another multi-year delay on the construction of a new Peace Bridge. For our region to regain its full economic potential, efficient, predictable and on-time access to and from Canada must be vastly improved now. Brian is currently urging the Western New York business community and the public to support his efforts to get construction of a new Peace Bridge underway as soon as possible.

Below you will find the latest on Brian's efforts to advance the much needed and long awaited Peace Bridge expansion project. 

Read Brian’s Letter to Business Leaders (PDF)

Read the “Peace Bridge Act Now” Document (PDF)


Signup For Email Updates!
 
 
Washington, DC Office
431 Cannon HOB
Washington, DC 20515
Phone: 202-225-3306
Fax: 202-226-0347

Erie County Office
Larkin at Exchange
726 Exchange Street
Suite 601
Buffalo, NY 14210
Phone: 716-852-3501
Fax: 716-852-3929
 
Chautauqua County Office
Fenton Building
2 East Second Street
Suite 300
Jamestown, NY 14701
Phone: 716-484-0729
Fax: 716-484-1049