The Canadian government has paid $34 million for a piece of property as a preliminary move to build a new bridge to Detroit, Transport Canada said Monday.

The 94-acre purchase, from the City of Windsor, is less than half of the Canadian land needed for the new facility.

The federal government is still in talks with Canadian residential and industrial owners for another 108 acres.

The joint Canada-U.S. project to build the new six-lane bridge and inspection stations is intended to ease congestion and modernize facilities at the busy crossing.

Detroit and Windsor now have a tunnel and a bridge between them.