No bucks for Detroit bridge plaza in Obama budget

President Obama's proposed budget does not include funding for a vital plaza on the U.S. side of a planned new bridge between Detroit and Windsor, Ontario.

DETROIT  — President Barack Obama has failed to put money in his federal budget proposal for a customs plaza on the Detroit side of a planned $3.5 billion bridge between the city and Canada.

Obama sent his $3.9 trillion fiscal 2015 budget to Congress on Tuesday. It doesn’t include the $250 million cost of a border inspection plaza.

The plaza is a vital part of the planned New International Trade Crossing to link Detroit to Windsor, Ontario. The Canadian government is funding most of the bridge, expected to open in 2020.

Democratic U.S. Rep. Gary Peters calls the decision not to fund the plaza a “grave oversight.”

New International Trade Crossing coalition spokesman Tom Shields says the full $250 million isn’t needed in one year but can be spread over several years.