"There's absolutely no excuse now why this project shouldn't go forward," Higgins said Friday.

Peace Bridge Authority Vice Chairman Paul Koessler of Buffalo agreed, saying the aid "makes it a doable project.

"It begins to define what plans are going to work," Koessler said.

Money for the bridge project is included in the $286.4 billion highway and mass transit bill Congress approved Friday. President Bush is expected to sign the measure.

Deciding what kind of bridge to build and where to locate the American plaza will happen during the upcoming phases of the Peace Bridge expansion study. Authority officials hope to select a preferred bridge design by December and gain a formal "record of decision" indicating federal government approval by the end of next year.

"That process will determine which plaza gets chosen and which bridge alternative gets chosen," said Ron Rienas, the bridge authority's general manager.

More money would be needed to pay for the pricier plaza and bridge alternatives, Koessler said. The extra money could come from homeland security grants from Washington, D.C., or transportation funds controlled by Albany.

Still, the highway bill appropriation "certainly gives some certainty to us about how much money is available to do the project and establishes a fiscal framework," Rienas said.

Those involved in the project are grateful for the $25 million included in the congressional bill that will fund highway, transit and transportation safety programs over the next six years.

"He did a great job," Koessler said of Higgins' work securing the money. "Also, Sens. Charles) Schumer and (Hillary Rodham) Clinton did a terrific job."

The $25 million is far less than the $210 million that authority officials had indicated they would need in an October 2003 letter to then-Rep. Jack F. Quinn, R-Hamburg. Since then, the authority learned it could borrow more than it anticipated.

On Friday, Higgins said the $25 million appropriation is the result of Peace Bridge and City Hall officials working together.

"I don't know if it would have been possible if we didn't get the Peace Bridge and the city to speak in one voice," Higgins said.

Earlier this month, Mayor Anthony M. Masiello and Koessler sent a joint letter to the Western New York congressional delegation asking for $25 million.

The two were able to sign the letter, in part, because the city and authority agreed on alternatives to pursue for a new American plaza footprint.

In the letter, the two officials wrote they were "pleased to have been able to arrive at a united front about the look and function of our new gateway."

During the prior couple of months, Higgins had pressed the two sides to come together quickly in their appeal for federal aid, because the window of opportunity for inclusion in the federal highway bill was closing.

The letter from Masiello and Koessler "made a huge difference in sending a clear signal to Sens. Schumer and Clinton that this is now a serious project," Higgins said.

Higgins said he is satisfied with the efforts of Peace Bridge and City Hall officials.

"The process is pushing forward," Higgins said. "It needs to be very clear, we're not trying to impose ourselves on the decision. We're trying to impose ourselves on the decision makers, so there's a sense of urgency. This is one of several projects in Western New York that has been seemingly stuck, and is now moving forward."

The federal aid will pay for building the roads that connect to the plaza and bridge and for ensuring greenspace around the plaza. The greenspace will improve aesthetics and provide a buffer between the neighborhood and the vehicles entering the bridge.

"Twenty-five million dollars takes us a long way," Koessler said.

The authority and city are looking at two shared-border plaza choices.

One possibility, called the southern option, uses more of the existing plaza and relies on Porter Avenue to get traffic on and off the bridge.

"The $25 million covers (the cost of) the southern plaza," Koessler said.

The other choice, called the northern option, relocates the plaza north and relies on Niagara Street and Massachusetts Avenue to handle bridge traffic.

The authority would need $15 million it is eyeing from Albany, on top of the $25 million appropriation, to pay for that alternative.

"Forty million doesn't cover the northern plaza, but it comes close," Koessler said.

e-mail: plakamp@buffnews.com