As a significant community in Southwest Detroit, Mexicantown, has a unique location and history, having attracted immigrant Mexican families to the area since the early 1920's. The community is adjacent to the Ambassador Bridge which connects the U.S. to Canada as the largest border crossing in North America. Bagley Street, is defined by a restaurant district, retail, youth center and a variety of cultural enterprises. Additional landmarks present in the area include Ste. Anne de Detroit Church; the Michigan Central Station; and the city of Detroit skyline. The cohesiveness of the community was interrupted in the late 1960's by the introduction of I-96 & I-75 interstate highways, which bifurcated the community to ease congestion from the Ambassador Bridge. Subsequent community out-migration, due to General Services Administration expansions, have furthered blight and decline in the region. In 1998 a competition, sponsored by the Ambassador|Gateway Steering Committee, was commissioned to design a new pedestrian bridge to establish a re-connection along Bagley Street and serve as a signature gateway into the U.S. from Canada. The competition was part of an Environmental Impact Study submitted to the Federal Highway Administration in order to mitigate the damages caused to the community by the original highway developments and to be a part of a much larger infrastructure improvement known as the Ambassador|Gateway Project. The principal purpose of the project, as set forth by the steering committee, is to improve access to/from the vehicular bridge linking Detroit, MI to Windsor, ON, through highway expansion and interchange improvements.