Officials from the bridge authority, Buffalo and Fort Erie, Ont., unanimously accepted the recommendation. It now goes to the Buffalo Common Council and the town council in Fort Erie for approval.

"We applaud this decision and the process," said Peace Bridge Authority Chairman John A. Lopinski.

The 32-member binational jury picked the two-tower concept by a wide margin earlier this month.

In October, the design jury recommended a companion span be built across the Niagara River between Buffalo and Fort Erie and the existing 1927 Peace Bridge should remain.

The mayors of Buffalo and Fort Erie, the other "partnering group" members leading the study, praised the design jury's work.

"We have much hard work ahead of us still," said Fort Erie Mayor Wayne Redekop. "However, we have reached a milestone, accomplished a goal that has allowed us to preserve a piece of our region's history while we endeavor to build a piece of our region's future."

Mayor Anthony M. Masiello said world-renowned Swiss designer Christian Menn's design for the bridge "reflects the personality and texture that is our region."

Ron Rienas, the Peace Bridge Authority's general manager, was optimistic, saying, "If you look at the work the design jury did and the hours they put into it, it would be unbelievable if the councils in Fort Erie and Buffalo did not endorse the work the design jury did," Rienas said.

The authority said the design jury deserves credit for building community consensus in answering the fundamental question of whether a companion or replacement bridge should be built.

The design jury also dealt with the question of aesthetics.

"I think the design jury did an excellent job in coming to a resolution on both of those issues," Rienas said.

Environmental consultants and partnering group members still have to address issues such as how to implement shared border management and how many lanes to build on the new bridge. These questions will be answered during the remainder of the environmental review.

A draft environmental impact statement - which will contain the answers and recommendations for these and other questions - could be submitted by July. If that happens, the final environmental study report will be submitted for approval by the end of 2006, Rienas said.

e-mail: plakamp@buffnews.com