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LANSING, Mich. -- The U.S. government approved Friday the construction of a second bridge between Detroit and Windsor, Ont., which is expected to relieve congestion and speed up trade at the busiest border crossing between the two countries.

A permit awarded by the U.S. Department of State allows Michigan and Canada to move forward with the span over the Detroit River.Construction could start in 2015 or 2016 and be finished by 2020, though lawsuits challenging the project have been filed by the owners of the Ambassador Bridge, currently the lone bridge between Detroit and Windsor.

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In this 2012 artist's rendering, a proposed bridge linking Detroit and Windsor is shown. (The Canadian Press/AP, Michigan Department of Transportation)

The presidential permit -- a requirement for all U.S. border crossing projects with other countries -- comes 10 months after Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder struck a deal calling for Canada to pay for the bridge, and five months after Michigan voters rejected an Ambassador Bridge owners' attempt to slow down or halt construction.

Ottawa welcomed the decision Friday, calling the crossing "one of Canada's top infrastructure priorities."

"The presidential permit represents an important step towards a new bridge which will be needed for growing trade and traffic at the busiest Canada-U.S. commercial border crossing with over 8,000 trucks crossing each day," Labour Minister Lisa Raitt said in a statement.

"This project will create thousands of jobs and opportunities on both sides of the border both during the construction period and in the years to come."

Snyder also lauded the U.S. government's approval of the project, saying the crossing will create jobs and get Michigan-made products to market more quickly. He plans to discuss the infrastructure project at a Detroit business in the afternoon.

The State Department said in a statement that the New International Trade Crossing will "serve the national interest."

"The NITC will help to meet future capacity requirements in a critical travel corridor, promote cross-border trade and commerce, and advance our vital bilateral relationship with Canada," the agency said.

Hurdles remain to building the new bridge some three kilometres south of the more than 80-year-old Ambassador Bridge. In a federal lawsuit filed in February, Ambassador Bridge owner Manuel (Matty) Moroun claimed a "perpetual and exclusive franchise right" to operate the bridge free of competition from another span.

Snyder has called the suit, and another pending in a Michigan court, a delay tactic.

Construction of the bridge is estimated at about $950 million, according to the NITC website. Canada has promised to take on Michigan's $550 million portion with revenue from future tolls paying off the debt. The total cost of the bridge would be $3.5 billion, including work on freeway interchanges, customs plazas in both countries and infrastructure work.

Read more: http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/obama-approves-construction-of-second-detroit-windsor-bridge-1.1235194#ixzz2QHIsZGlP