Planners of New U.S.-Canada Bridge Eye Legal Fight

(Journal of Commerce Online – Courtney Tower)

The owners of the busiest commercial bridge crossing linking the United States and Canada say they’ll sue if their plan for a new span is not approved by government authorities.

Following a rejection by the Michigan legislature, Dan Stamper, president of Detroit International Bridge Co., owner of the Ambassador Bridge, said in an interview that with or without approvals from U.S. and Canadian officials, he would move ahead with plans to construct a new, six-lane twin span.

“We are going to build that bridge,” he said.

If Washington and Ottawa push ahead with their own plans for a new publicly-owned bridge two miles from the Ambassador, Stamper promised to sue to block the project.

New bridges are needed to ease congestion and delays at the 80-year old Ambassador, a critical link for nearly US$75 billion in U.S. exports and $63 billion in imports moving in the Detroit-Windsor, Ont. corridor each year, or 25% of an annual total $562 billion in U.S.-Canada trade.

A long stand-off in the Michigan legislature ended last week with the failure of a Republican-led attempt to cut off funding for preparatory work for a publicly-owned Detroit River International Crossing, in the making since 2004. That work now can proceed. Read the complete article.