Michigan officials urge Obama to fund new bridge to Canada

WASHINGTON — A group of Michigan congressmen is urging Washington to put federal money behind the binational border team planning the design of a new public bridge between Windsor and Detroit.

"We write to urge the Obama Administration to support and prioritize federal funding to the Detroit River International Crossing (DRIC) project. Michigan needs it and needs it now," states the letter, which, signed off by the eight politicians, was addressed to Transport Secretary Ray LaHood.

The project could create up to 10,000 construction jobs, not including jobs "available from the Canadian segment of the project."

The letter comes just days after the owner of the privately owned Ambassador Bridge launched a lawsuit to halt DRIC.

The complaint stated that a publicly-backed bridge would unfairly siphon away commercial traffic from the nearby Ambassador just as the company is sinking millions of dollars toward its own twin span; and that a new bridge would "destroy" the impoverished minority-based "community" of Delray — the western suburb of Detroit pegged for the bridge landing — while leaving middle class Canadians relatively unaffected.

Ambassador officials say the DRIC bridge undermines
its investments for a twin crossing.

In the letter, the congressmen stressed that the Windsor-Detroit Gateway is the "busiest and most valuable trade corridor in the world" and the Ambassador isn’t fit to accommodate projected commercial traffic growth in the years ahead.

"Because the Ambassador Bridge opened in 1930, its capacity is limited. The lanes are too narrow and its approach too steep," they stated.

Of course, Ambassador officials argue that is exactly what they’re trying to change by forging ahead with a twin span, which, they contend, is being undermined by a "unnecessary" public project downriver.

However, the letter also pointed out the importance of crossing redundancy at the vital trade gateway in these security-sensitive times. "A new crossing along the border would meet national security needs by guaranteeing an alternative route in emergency situations."

Signers of the letter are: Congressmen Bart Stupak; John Conyers; John Dingell; Gary Peters; Sander Levin; Mark Schauer; Dale Kildee; and Fred Upton.