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WASHINGTON — A bill with potentially sweeping consequences for the Canada-U.S. border has just been adopted by the American Congress, allowing new projects aimed at speeding up travel through the international boundary.

The so-called preclearance bill has now been adopted by both U.S. legislative chambers after being passed by the Senate early Saturday and is now expected to become law with President Barack Obama’s signature.

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Officials in both countries celebrated the news. The project has involved both U.S. political parties and the Harper and Trudeau governments, yet some participants had begun worrying it might stall from inertia.

Preclearance is a win-win for enhanced security and prosperity on both sides of the border

It was finally taken up in the last moments of the current Congress, passed first by the House of Representatives and then the Senate this week as lawmakers prepared to dissolve and reconvene a new post-election legislature after the holidays.

“Preclearance is a win-win for enhanced security and prosperity on both sides of the border,” Canada’s ambassador to the U.S., David MacNaughton, tweeted Saturday.