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	The current Blue Water Bridge Plaza was constructed in the mid-1990s with the intent that it would serve the needs of the international border crossing for 40 to 50 years. By the early 2000's, it was becoming clear that this estimation was wildly optimistic. Bridge traffic had grown at such a rate that traffic backups, particularly for trucks, were becoming a serious problem. Roads were being blocked, commerce was being delayed, fuel was being wasted, and the air was being polluted by fumes from the long lines of trucks idling while waiting to be processed through U.S. Customs. In 2002, the Michigan Department of Transportation began investigating a variety of designs for expanding the Blue Water Bridge Plaza to better accommodate the anticipated growth in traffic. Included in these designs were plans to replace the aging I-94 bridge over the Black River and expand the capacity of the expressway out to where I-94 and I-69 separate. The project unfolded according to the usual pattern for major public works projects (a full history can be found on the MDOT website here.) Though the project was originally intended to be "fast-tracked", there were several setbacks and delays along the way as issues such as border security and sufficent capacity kept sending designers back to the drawing board. Finally in early autumn of 2006 the final alternative plans were presented at a public meeting in Port Huron.