Canada, U.S. announce authority for new Detroit-Windsor bridge
Posted July 30, 2014 11:32 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Transport Minister Lisa Raitt and Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder have announced the creation of a U.S.-Canadian authority that will oversee the construction, operation and maintenance of new bridge between Detroit and Windsor, Ont.
Raitt says the Windsor Detroit Bridge Authority is a non-profit Crown corporation that will report to Ottawa as it manages the project for the New International Trade Crossing .
She says the authority will be in charge of preparing the sites, managing the procurement process for a private-sector partnership and setting and collecting tolls.
Another panel, the Canada Michigan International Authority, is also being formed to approve key steps in the public-private partnership and to purchase the required land in Michigan.
The Canadian government has already agreed to finance the construction of the $1-billion bridge, which would open in 2020, but the project will still need funding from U.S. Homeland Security.
The total cost of the project would be about $4 billion, including work on freeway interchanges, customs plazas in both countries and infrastructure work.
The final permit for the project was issued last month after a U.S. court rejected a request for an injunction filed by the private company that owns the existing Ambassador Bridge.
The next step involves securing funding for a U.S. customs facility, along with acquiring land on the American side.
Ambassador Bridge owner Matty Moroun has fought the proposal for the new bridge for years, instead pushing for the building of an additional span to his private bridge.
