Windsor, ONT… The recent announcement from Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Michigan Governor Rick Snyder that an agreement has finally been reached to build the new, second bridge linking Windsor, ON and Detroit, MI is being greeted with a huge thumbs up by the Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA).

“It’s been a long road to get to this day, with even more stops and starts than on Huron Church Rd.,” says CTA president David Bradley, referring to the years of political wrangling that has delayed progress on what many say is Canada’s most important and most needed infrastructure investment and the fact that trucks have to negotiate 16 stop lights on the Windsor road leading to the current bridge crossing. “So we are thrilled the new crossing will become a reality.”

“When it’s constructed, the new bridge will improve trade flows across the single busiest gateway for trade in North America,” says Bradley who attended the announcement in Windsor. “It will provide freeway to freeway access to the border on both sides, provide redundancy in the event of an emergency shutdown at any of the Windsor-Detroit crossings, and enhance the efficiency and predictability of the North American supply chain which in turn will attract future direct investment and stimulate economic growth in the region.” And, says Bradley, “it will reduce the environmental impacts of long queues at the border.”

Bradley commended both the Prime Minister and the Governor for their leadership and commitment to the project. Canada will pay Michigan’s $550-million share of the bridge – an advance that would later be repaid from toll revenue. Governor Snyder, previously stymied in obtaining approval for the project in the Michigan legislature – even some of the legislators from his own party withheld their support after intense lobbying from the owners of the Ambassador Bridge, which currently enjoys a monopoly – has taken the bold step of using his executive authority to reach an accord with Canada.
The political agreement to build the bridge and the connecting highways between the federal government, the Government of Ontario (which has responsibility for constructing the highway linkages that are already underway) and the City of Windsor was attained some time ago. Up until today, the green light from Michigan remained the missing piece of the puzzle.

Bradley acknowledged that opponents who have been battling bridge planners on both sides of the border, such as the owners of the private Ambassador Bridge, are unlikely to give up their fight and could challenge the accord.

“Regardless,” says Bradley, “the hard part of this long, drawn-out episode has been resolved.  The need for a new bridge – in terms of both the economic viability and long-term security of both nations -- is pretty self-evident. The myriad of problems that truck drivers have experienced in recent years with congestion, delays, and added costs associated with having a single, aging piece of infrastructure at one of the world’s most important trade gateways has led to their solid support of new public-private crossing.”

It’s still unknown exactly when shovels will be ready to hit the ground, but environmental approval to build the bridge across the Detroit River in the Brighton Beach-Delray industrial corridor has already been granted under the lengthy bi-national study process.