The Canadian government has signed a deal with the United States to move ahead plans with the new publicly-owned bridge between Windsor and Detroit.

Transport Minister Lisa Raitt announced the arrangement regarding the U.S. Customs plaza on Wednesday. Canada has agreed to pay the $250-million price tag for the plaza.

“Following significant discussions with the United States and Michigan, Canada has now signed an arrangement to ensure that the new publicly-owned bridge between Windsor, Ontario and Detroit can proceed without further delay,” says Raitt.

Under the terms of the deal, the U.S. inspection plaza will be procured as part of the public-private partnership, which will design, finance, construct, operate and maintain the Detroit River International Crossing (DRIC), says Raitt. The project is also known stateside as the New International Trade Crossing (NITC).

The U.S. will pay to staff, operate and maintain the customs plaza in Detroit,

"I am pleased that the United States has already committed to providing staff and equipment to operate the facility, something I have pushed the administration to include in any agreement,” says U.S. Senator Gary Peters.

Peters and Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder say they applaud the agreement.

“I’m appreciative of the work of our partners in Congress and in the Canadian government to ensure that the New International Trade Crossing – important to both of our countries – continues to move forward,” Snyder said in a news release. “I will continue to encourage the U.S. government to provide the necessary resources to fund U.S. customs facilities at the NITC project.”

The cost of the U.S. Port of Entry will be repaid from future toll revenues and not by Canadian taxpayers, says Raitt. It is expected to take 30 years to recoup the costs.

Raitt says the arrangement is good for Canada and for Canadians.

“It ensures that all the elements of the project will ultimately be delivered through a public-private partnership,” says Raitt. “It also allows Canada and Michigan to move the project forward immediately to its next steps which include further design work and property acquisition on the U.S. side of the border.”

The new bridge is expected to be complete by 2020.