The board that makes long-range transportation plans for Western New York is being asked to take a look at a proposal for a new truck lane to Canada.

The Niagara Falls City Council wants the Greater Buffalo-Niagara Regional Transportation Council's ideas regarding a plan to add two trucks-only lanes to the existing railroad track on the upper portion of the Whirlpool Bridge, according to Associated Press reports. The Niagara Falls Bridge Commission proposed the plan on June 16 to prepare for increasing traffic at the border crossings, which is expected to double within the next five years.
However, the Council says it feels rushed by claims that the project can be put into effect in two to three years and has passed a resolution expressing concern over the proposal.
A $1 million study to look at transportation issues along Niagara County’s international border has been approved by the county’s Industrial Development Agency and Legislature Public Works Committee. The request failed last year due to late submission, but is currently under review by the state Department of Transportation in Albany, N.Y.