Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand today announced that a provision she wrote to reauthorize the Coordinated Border Infrastructure (CBI) Program to invest in border regions reached final Congressional passage as part of the Transportation Reauthorization bill.
Senator Gillibrand’s measure would allow states to use funding to improve motor vehicle and cargo mobility across international borders, enhancing commerce at border regions. Last year, New York State and Canada traded $627 billion in goods and services.
“From the Peace Bridge to the Thousand Islands Bridge to Rouses Point, New York State is home to some of the largest and most significant border crossings in the country,” Senator Gillibrand said. “When we invest in infrastructure upgrades at New York’s border regions, we create new construction jobs immediately, and help grow our local economies over the long term by connecting more businesses in New York to Canada. This legislation provides resources for infrastructure projects to move forward.”
The legislation extends the CBI program for an additional two years. CBI Funding is available for the following types of improvements to facilitate and expedite cross border motor vehicle and cargo movements on highways:
- Improvements to existing transportation and supporting infrastructure;
- Construction of highways and related safety and safety enforcement facilities related to international trade;
- Operational improvements, including those related to electronic data interchange and use of telecommunications;
- Modifications to regulatory procedures; and
- International coordination of transportation planning, programming, and border operation with Canada and Mexico.