Calais, ME-St. Stephen,NB Border Crossing Project A Case Study

1. Calais, ME-St. Stephen,NB Border Crossing Project A Case Study

2. Agenda • Introduction • Planning, coordination, and permitting • Considerations during Design • Considerations during Construction • Lessons learned

4. Introduction • New crossing discussed for about 30 years • 8th busiest commercial crossing along the U.S. / Canadian border • Annual traffic – 2.9 million vehicles • 7,500 AADT including 550 heavy trucks • Delays inbound to the U.S. can be up to 2 hours • Truck traffic entering Maine has doubled since NAFTA implementation (70,000 to 140,000 annually)

7. Project Management • Maine and New Brunswick DOTs share the costs of bridge design/construction on a 50/50 basis • MaineDOT: Bridge design lead • MaineDOT: Project Manager for the bridge construction portion

8. Agencies — U.S. • FHWA – lead federal agency • MaineDOT • GSA – cooperating agency • U.S. Department of Homeland Security • Customs and Border Protection • U.S. Border Patrol • U.S. Department of State

9. Agencies — Canada • New Brunswick Department of Transportation • Transport Canada • Canada Border Services Agency • Canada Revenue Agency • Citizenship & Immigration Canada • Foreign Affairs Canada • Royal Canadian Mounted Police

10. Four Alternatives including no action considered • Alternatives 2A and 3 deemed viable • Chosen: Alternative 3 Calais Industrial Park

11. Timeline • Preliminary design and NEPA compliance – started 1999 • FHWA issued FONSI in July 2002 • Final design and permittingJuly 2002 – September 2006 • Construction Begins • NBDOT - Spring 2006 • MaineDOT – Spring 2007 • GSA and CBSA - 2007 • Open to traffic - Fall 2008

12. This Last Year… • January 2006 – Reevaluation of 2001 Environmental Assessment • May 2006 – Army Corps of Engineers request for details • June 2006 – Maine DOT replies • June 2006 - US Coast Guard Approval • Sept 2006 – Army Corps of Engineers approval • Project tendered September 27, 2006

13. Planning • Maine and New Brunswick circulated studies at same time • Changes in process (New Brunswick was very flexible) • Public Involvement • 9 PAC meetings, 2 public meetings, and 1 formal public hearing • MaineDOT – GSA enter into a cost reimbursement agreement for NEPA

14. International Coordination • Partnership, respect for others’ process, flexibility • International Stakeholders workshops • Every 6 months to 1 year throughout the process • International partnering agreement • Master schedule discussed and developed • Good forum for troubleshooting problems like labor issues • Communication between workshops • Find ways to maintain national focus for future funding purposes • TBWG, BSPC, etc.

15. Permitting — Coast Guard Bridge Permit • Required for an international bridge • Cooperating agency under NEPA • Bridge permit • 40% plans required • Approved Presidential Permit is also required • Long lead time is necessary

16. Permitting – Presidential Permit • U.S. Department of State 2003-2005 • No precedent for the northern border • First one in at least 30 years • Guidelines for complete application • State Dept. distributes application to at least 55 agencies for comment and determinations • Prepared and circulated own EA and FONSI as part of their process as well

17. Treaties and Approvals • Transport Canada – New Brunswick agreement • This project spurred a new Canadian equivalent of the U.S. Presidential Permit process • International Boundary Commission approval • International Joint Commission or exchange of diplomatic notes required between Foreign Affairs Canada and U.S. State Department • MaineDOT - New Brunswick agreement to construct and reimburse

18. Design Considerations — U.S. • Inspection facility – increased in size from 20 to 50 acres. (Post 911) • MaineDOT – GSA cost reimbursement agreements • Advance notice for materials and people crossing the border • Buy America clause for steel • MaineDOT – NBDOT funding and management agreement • Bridge contractor ‘fact sheet’ and prequalification • Coordination between GSA and MaineDOT of design issues; staging issues, exchange of plans, etc.

19. Considerations During Construction - Labor • Labor and requirements for foreign workers • Human Resources Development Canada-Canadian Labor Market Opinion • CBSA – immigration • Maine Dept of Labor • Security and background check • Ideal worker – dual citizenship, no criminal record

20. Considerations During Construction - Security • Security during construction • U.S. Border Patrol • RCMP • Movement of workers; must be able to cross border within project limits • No precedent on this issue

21. Considerations During Construction - Taxes

22. Lessons Learned • Partnerships among agencies on both sides of the border that are built to last • Respect for others and stay flexible • Communicate and communicate some more • Combine NEPA/Presidential Permit Process as much as possible • Maximize the use of the cooperating agencies • Taxation issues for international bridge projects are complex

23. Project Status International Bridge Construction (11.58 Million) • March 2007 – Summer 2008 U.S. Inspection Facility • Summer 2007 – Fall 2008 US Route 1 (9.33 Million): • April 2007 – Summer 2008 NB Route 1: • Spring 2007 Canadian Inspection Facility • Summer 2007 – Fall 2008

24. Calais, ME-St. Stephen,NB Border Crossing Project