Over the last two decades, Canada and the US have developed the largest bilateral trading partnership in the world. Commercial and passenger traffic crossing the border has increased so significantly that many land border operating authorities are forced to expand their facilities to accommodate this growth. The Canadian Authority for Blue Water Bridge (BWB) between Point Edward/Sarnia in Ontario and Port Huron in Michigan has recently completed a Master Plan addressing these growing demands and evolving border operating policies. In developing the BWB Canadian Plaza Master Plan, about twenty alternative plaza layouts were considered including many sub-options. These included layouts of primary and secondary inspection areas addressing various geometric challenges, as well as the location and configuration of buildings and parking areas. A screening assessment of the long list of alternatives led to a detailed analysis of a short listing of four alternatives and the selection of a preferred layout. For the covering abstract of the conference see ITRD number E211521.
Abstract