CALAIS (AP) – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has issued a permit for a proposed bridge and border station that would provide a new crossing between Calais and St. Stephen, New Brunswick, the eight-busiest U.S.-Canada border crossing nationwide.

The permit, which was issued Friday, is the final federal hurdle before construction can begin. The project has been discussed for more than 30 years, with state and federal agencies involved in the review process for six years.

“This is more than just a new border crossing,” said Maine Transportation Commissioner David Cole. “It’s the linchpin in the transportation corridor between Maine and the (Canadian) Maritimes. It’s an economic positive for Calais, Washington County and the whole region.”

The project, which is slated to open near the Calais Industrial Park in two years, has a price tag of more than $120 million, to be shared by the United States and Canada.

The new border crossing should relieve congestion at the Ferry Point Bridge that crosses the Saint Croix River and links the downtown districts of Calais and St. Stephen. There’s a lesser-used checkpoint a mile upriver at the Milltown Bridge.

With more than 14,000 cars and 800 trucks crossing the two bridges on a typical summer day, the crossings are the eighth busiest along the 4,000-mile northern border.

The Maine Department of Transportation will now advertise for bids before a contract is awarded.

Officials say the bridge itself will cost about $10 million, while a new U.S. border station will cost more than $40 million. Once the border station is completed, as many as 50 new federal positions will be needed to staff the facility.

A local group, the Friends of the Magurrewock, opposes the proposed location for the new crossing.

Members are concerned that eagles nesting in the nearby Moosehorn National Wildlife Refuge will be disturbed because the road leading to the new bridge will pass through the refuge, according to Bill Szirbik, spokesman for the group. The Magurrewock wetlands of the Moosehorn refuge lie on either side of U.S. Route 1.

The group will work with an environmental lawyer to file a lawsuit against the project in federal court, Szirbik said.

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Information from: Bangor Daily News, http://www.bangornews.com

AP-ES-09-23-06 1211EDT