Detroit - President George W. Bush introduced a plan Monday that could cut delays at the Detroit-Windsor border while preventing terrorists from using the area as their gateway.

The president, standing under the Ambassador Bridge in front of 1,500 people, joined Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chrétien and Gov. John Engler as the leaders discussed the budding Smart Border program.

“We want our inspectors to be able to focus on the greatest risks, not on legitimate trade and travel,” Bush said in his sixth visit to Michigan as president. “We want their time focused on stopping terrorists, criminality and recognize that inspections create bottlenecks on both sides of this bridge.”

The Ambassador Bridge, which is the busiest crossing between the United States and Canada, accounts for 25 percent, or $120 billion, of all commerce between the two countries.

Bush said stop times at the border will be reduced from minutes to seconds once the system is implemented, adding that the plan will balance securing the border and permitting trade between the two countries.

“Nearly a year ago we saw the terrorists - cold blooded killers - using our openness, the openness of our societies against us,” he said. “We realized that at least in our country that we’ve become a battlefield, and we’ve got to confront those threats.”

The initiative unveiled Monday uses technology designed to allow U.S. and Canadian citizens to register with border agents and use special lanes while crossing. Those registered will have to reapply every five years, and depending on the exchange rate, each application will be about $50.

Similar technology already exists in other crossings between the two countries, and officials expect the Detroit-Windsor program to be fully functioning by January. Officials say the cost of the new technology will be equal to the yearly salaries of a few inspectors.

The first NEXUS, a program for people who cross the border frequently, opened at the Port Huron-Sarnia, Ontario, border in November 2000.

As of Monday, people can apply for the Detroit-Windsor program and all passengers in each car must be registered users to cross through the special lanes. Users entering Canada will be directed to the lanes and have their license plates scanned before providing photo identification cards to confirm membership in the program.

Chrétien, who talked about his honorary degree from MSU, said the two countries have shared values and become closer because of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

“One year ago, our shared values were attacked in an unthinkable way,” he said. “For most of our history we in North America have lived in peace, untouched by attack - 9-11 changed that and it changed the world.”

He said the Smart Border is open for business but closed for terrorism.

Two months after the attacks, MSU President M. Peter McPherson was one of 21 U.S. and Canadian leaders who signed a letter that called for a “zone of confidence” between the two countries. It asked for a system similar to the one that was unveiled Monday.

“For us, that border in economic terms is tremendously important,” McPherson said, adding that MSU has several Canadian-studies programs.

“There are some problems we run into about getting foreign graduate students here and in time for the school year,” he said. “We’ll have to continue to work at it.”

Both candidates for governor were at the press conference and said they look forward to running the state with the new program in place.

“I am really pleased by the use of technology in this effort to speed commerce and tourism,” Attorney General Jennifer Granholm said. The Democrat said she hoped officials would unveil a system that would reverse customs checkpoints at the border to prevent back-ups.

Lt. Gov. Dick Posthumus said the program will improve security and ensure the countries will have economic stability that will create jobs in Michigan, adding that more trade is done between Michigan and Canada than between the United States and Japan.

“Security is really connected with commerce and you can’t have one with out the other,” the Republican candidate said.

For more information see www.ccra-adrc.gc.ca.

Chad Previch can be reached at previchc@msu.edu.