calais, me-st. stephen,nb border crossing project a case study
TRANSCRIPT
Calais, ME-St. Calais, ME-St. Stephen,NB Stephen,NB
Border Crossing Project Border Crossing Project A Case Study A Case Study
IntroductionPlanning, coordination, and
permittingConsiderations during DesignConsiderations during ConstructionLessons learned
AgendaAgenda
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)
IntroductionIntroduction
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
Project ManagementProject Management
FHWA – lead federal agencyMaineDOTGSA – cooperating agencyU.S. Department of Homeland
Security Customs and Border Protection U.S. Border Patrol
U.S. Department of State
Agencies — U.S.Agencies — U.S.
New Brunswick Department of Transportation
Transport Canada Canada Border Services Agency Canada Revenue Agency Citizenship & Immigration Canada Foreign Affairs Canada Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Agencies — CanadaAgencies — Canada
Four Alternatives including no action considered
Alternatives 2A and 3 deemed viable
Chosen: Alternative 3 Calais Industrial Park
Preliminary design and NEPA compliance – started 1999
FHWA issued FONSI in July 2002 Final design and permitting
July 2002 – September 2006 Construction Begins
NBDOT - Spring 2006 MaineDOT – Spring 2007 GSA and CBSA - 2007
Open to traffic - Fall 2008
TimelineTimeline
This Last Year…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
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
PlanningPlanning
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.
International CoordinationInternational Coordination
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
Permitting — Coast Guard Permitting — Coast Guard Bridge PermitBridge 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
Permitting – Presidential Permitting – Presidential PermitPermit
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
Treaties and ApprovalsTreaties and Approvals
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.
Design Considerations — Design Considerations — U.S. U.S.
Labor and requirements for foreign workers
Human Resources Development Canada-Canadian Labor Market Opinion
CBSA – immigrationMaine Dept of LaborSecurity and background check Ideal worker – dual citizenship, no
criminal record
Considerations During Considerations During Construction - LaborConstruction - Labor
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
Considerations During Construction - Considerations During Construction - SecuritySecurity
Considerations During Considerations During Construction - TaxesConstruction - Taxes
U.S CanadaCustoms Duties EXEMPT
All international bridge projects are exempt
Exempt – but imports need NAFTA certificate of origin
Sales Tax EXEMPT None
Value Added Tax (GST/HST)
None 6% GST collected at border14% HST
Income Tax Withholding
Non-resident withholding
NB responsible for 15% non-residents
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
Lessons LearnedLessons Learned
Project StatusProject StatusInternational Bridge Construction (11.58 Million) March 2007 – Summer 2008U.S. Inspection Facility Summer 2007 – Fall 2008US Route 1 (9.33 Million): April 2007 – Summer 2008NB Route 1: Spring 2007Canadian Inspection Facility Summer 2007 – Fall 2008
Calais, ME-St. Calais, ME-St. Stephen,NB Stephen,NB
Border Crossing Project Border Crossing Project