PORT HURON, MI — As a direct result of years of coordination and collaboration, the Blue Water Bridge (BWB) plaza expansion project has met multiple milestones and now enters the next phase.
Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) staff and local officials gathered to celebrate the start of Component 2 of the plaza expansion project and significant completion of Component 1. The work completed to date accomplished numerous benefits for the community, including reconfiguring the 10th Avenue/Pine Grove Avenue intersection, an element not originally planned for in the project scope.
"This has been a day that's long been in the making," MDOT BWB Administrator Amy Winn said. "We have been steadfast in our quest to ensure that we not only made improvements here to the plaza but that we really took into consideration the needs of the community."
This approximately $300 million investment will focus primarily on expanding and reconfiguring the southern portion of the plaza. Work will include building an outbound inspection facility for U.S. Customs and Border Protection and relocating the tolling operation facilities, Duty Free Americas, and local access ramp.
"At the end of the day, this is really about how we're meeting industry's needs, how we're meeting commuters' needs, and — most importantly — how we are meeting the needs of residents here in the community," State Transportation Director Bradley C. Wieferich said.
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This past May, crews began removing trees south of the plaza and west of Pine Grove Avenue to prepare the area for Component 2 (trees will later be replanted as part of the final stages of this work).
Traffic impacts on surface streets are expected to be minimal during Component 2. However, MDOT will notify the public in advance of any potential traffic restrictions, as needed.
"This is a big project we're talking about, with five years of construction," Wieferich said. "There's going to be a lot that goes on here, but the end result is going to be amazing. Whether you're a commuter or a regular user, you're going to see amazing results when this is done."
Work began on Component 1 in spring 2025 and is substantially complete, with full completion anticipated this fall. This $36.3 million investment included relocating Exit 275, reconfiguring the 10th Avenue/Pine Grove Avenue intersection, and rebuilding eastbound I-94/I-69 at the MDOT maintenance facility location. Additionally, the project involved installing noise walls along the eastbound I-94/I-69 exit to Pine Grove Avenue and along westbound I-94/I-69 Business Loop from Garfield Street south to the Black River bridge.
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The newly completed Scott Avenue pedestrian pathway and greenspace is nestled next to the new noise walls, providing access to increased non-motorized connectivity in Port Huron.
"It turned into a beautiful space for people to walk, to sit, and to enjoy," Port Huron Mayor Pro-Tem Sherry Archibald said. "We really appreciate that, and we look forward to working with [MDOT] in the future. We're excited to see what the next five years brings."
The BWB plaza expansion project is the completion of a larger corridor and expansion project that received a Record of Decision in 2009 following the National Environmental Policy Act review process. Funding shortfalls delayed plaza work, while other phases, including freeway rebuilding, replacing the Black River bridge, and a new Welcome Center were completed. MDOT received a $25 million federal Infrastructure for Rebuilding America grant in 2020 to proceed with a reduced plaza expansion alternative that will minimize impacts on Pine Grove Avenue and still address the original project's purpose and need.
The project will provide safe, efficient, and secure movement of people and goods across the U.S.-Canadian border in the Port Huron area to support the economies of Michigan, the United States, Ontario, and Canada. It will also support the mobility and security needs associated with national and civil defense.
