House subcommittee hears Blue Water Bridge expansion plan, funding needs and operational pressures

Members of the Michigan House Appropriations Subcommittee on State and Local Transportation heard a briefing on the Blue Water Bridge plaza expansion, operations and funding from Blue Water Bridge Administrator Amy Wynne and House Fiscal Agency staff on May 2025 (meeting date not specified in transcript).

Wynne told the committee the bridge — an MDOT entity that shares its spans with Federal Bridge Corporation Limited on the Canadian side — is self-funded through tolls, duty‑free lease revenue and facility leases to federal agencies. "We are about a 60% commercial crossing," Wynne said, adding that commercial traffic generates the majority of toll revenue and that the bridge is currently the busiest commercial crossing between the U.S. and Canada.

The committee was presented budget and capital figures for current and planned work. House Fiscal Agency staff highlighted several line items that include Blue Water Bridge funding in the current-year budget packet, including debt service for prior bonds, an ongoing operations appropriation paid from a state‑restricted Blue Water Bridge fund and a one‑time appropriation for equipment and facilities.

Wynne outlined the multi‑component plaza expansion. Component 1 is funded and under construction; it includes intersection reconfiguration, relocation of the Pine Grove connector ramp, noise wall installation and alterations to the I‑94 connection, with most work expected to finish during the current construction season and remaining noise‑wall work extending into 2026. Component 1…