Sault Ste. Marie Bridge Authority Resolution Honours McIntyre

February 20, 2015 – At their quarterly meeting Thursday, members of the Sault Ste. Marie International Bridge Authority (SSMBA) board paid tribute to the board’s chairman, James McIntyre, who died Feb. 11 as the result of an accident.

The board unanimously passed a resolution commemorating McIntyre’s long commitment to the Sault Ste. Marie International Bridge and the people it serves.

McIntyre first became involved with the bridge during his 1960-1964 term as mayor of the City of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, and helped cut the ribbon to mark the opening of the completed bridge to traffic on Oct. 31, 1962.

He went on to serve for decades as president of the St. Mary’s River Bridge Co. (SMRBC), the public entity created in 1955 by the Canadian Parliament to oversee the construction, operation, and maintenance of the bridge on behalf of Canada.

After being involved in the task force that spearheaded the creation of the Joint International Bridge Authority (JIBA), (more…)

International Bridge Administration mourns the passing of James McIntyre

Jim McIntyre speaks at the Sault Ste. Marie International Bridge dedication dinner on May 24, 1963.

February 12, 2015 – Flags will be flown at half-staff at the International Bridge in honor of Sault Ste. Marie Bridge Authority (SSMBA) Chairman James McIntyre, who died Wednesday, Feb. 11, as the result of an accident.

Phil Becker, general manager of the International Bridge Administration (IBA), said the thoughts and prayers of SSMBA board members past and present, bridge staff, representatives from the Federal Bridge Corporation Ltd., and the Michigan Department of Transportation are with McIntyre’s family and friends.

“Our sadness is difficult to express as we consider the loss of our friend and colleague Jim McIntyre,” Becker said. “Jim’s passion for the bridge has had a profound impact on the bridge and the many people involved with it over its 52 years of existence. Our respect for Jim’s integrity — as expressed many times in his firm but fair approach to bridge business — is beyond measure.”

Above all, Becker said, McIntyre was a gentlemen who beneath his “take care of business” exterior possessed a very caring and compassionate heart.

McIntyre’s involvement with the bridge spans more than a half-century, starting when he was mayor of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, from 1960-1964. Since then, McIntyre served on the board of the St. Mary’s River Bridge Company (SMRBC), the Canadian board of directors representing the federal government interests in the governance and operation of the bridge. McIntyre served as president of SMRBC for decades, and was the first chairperson of the Joint International Bridge Authority (JIBA), the bi-national bridge governance board established in 2000. He served a number of one-year terms as the chair of the JIBA. In November 2014, he was selected as 2015 chair of SSMBA, the successor governance board to the JIBA. It was his second annual term as SSMBA chairman.

“He cared deeply about the bridge and what it meant to the sister cities of Sault Ste. Marie,” Becker said. “He was gifted with an exceptional memory recall, which was called upon many times at board meetings and bridge discussions. He freely invested a great amount of time and effort to make our unique bi-national bridge operation and governance model a success.”

Becker expressed deep gratitude for McIntyre’s long legacy of service to the International Bridge.

“We are especially grateful to his family for the support and sacrifices they provided to allow Jim to pursue his passion,” Becker said. “Our thoughts and prayers are with you in this tremendous loss.”

Funeral arrangements have not been announced.

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Sault Ste. Marie International Bridge:
Bridging Our Past, Connecting Our Future

Carmen’s Way Bridge Plaza Commercial Entrance Open

OTTAWA, Jan. 20, 2015 – The St. Mary’s River Bridge Company (SMRBC) announces today a major step forward in the Canadian Plaza Redevelopment Project with the opening to traffic of the new Carmen’s Way commercial entrance.

The full press release is available here, or visit SMRBC website at http://eng.pontssmbridge.ca/.

Starting Tuesday January 20th at 12:00 noon, commercial truck traffic will access the plaza by way of the new commercial entrance from Carmen’s Way in lieu of the commuter vehicle entrance on Huron St. City. Street signage has been updated to reflect this change.

Commuter vehicles will continue to use the Huron St. entrance. (more…)

Snyder makes appointment to Sault Ste. Marie Bridge Authority

January 8, 2015 – Gov. Rick Snyder recently announced the appointment of Thomas Buckingham of Newberry to the Sault Ste. Marie Bridge Authority.

Established in 2000, the Sault Ste. Marie Bridge Authority is a joint organization between the U.S. and Canada. This board seeks to provide safe and efficient movement of people and goods across the international bridge between Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan and Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario.

“International trade is important to reviving (more…)

Prox Card reader installed on Northbound Tolls

Prox Card readers installed on northbound toll booths at Sault Ste. Marie International Bridge

December 12, 2014 – Installation of “Prox” toll card readers on the new northbound booths is being finished as part of the Sault Ste. Marie International Bridge Toll Plaza Reconstruction project.

“Our customers really like the convenience of the card readers and automated lanes,” said Peter Petainen , International Bridge Administration (IBA) chief financial officer. “Despite delays due to weather, we are pleased to report the first reader and automated gate will be operational on Monday, Dec. 15.”

The outside northbound lane to Canada will be opened to Prox customers beginning Monday, (more…)