New Bridge Announcement

[GPCharles]

From the Detroit News -

"Currently the Ambassador Bridge connects the two cities, with truck traffic moving through city streets in Windsor."

IMHO - that's what this new bridge is all about. Windsor allowed their end of the bridge to be built up as a residential area. Remember, the Detroit end of the bridge is already directly [[or almost) connected to the US freeway network. That is why Canada is being so accomodating on the financing of the bridge. This is all for their benefit.

BTW - I am not an employee or shill for Moroun.

PREDICTION - Once the new bridge is built, Windsor will outlaw all semi-truck traffic to and from their end of the Ambassador Bridge. No wonder Moroun is up in arms- his bridge will become a non-commercial traffic only bridge.

[Shollin]

I love Canada. Sticking it to that ..........

[mwilbert]

PREDICTION - Once the new bridge is built, Windsor will outlaw all semi-truck traffic to and from their end of the Ambassador Bridge.

Another possibility is that they would restrict truck traffic during certain hours to minimize the impact on the neighbors. Unless the second bridge has enough capacity to handle all the truck traffic, I doubt the Ontario government would allow Windsor to ban it altogether.

[daddeeo]

Matty will lie and deceive folks while trying to build the bridge himself. The only bigger hypocrites are the lawmakers he has bought off.

[Meddle]

PREDICTION - Once the new bridge is built, Windsor will outlaw all semi-truck traffic to and from their end of the Ambassador Bridge. No wonder Moroun is up in arms- his bridge will become a non-commercial traffic only bridge.

We can only hope.

[HistoryNotHisStory]

Matty will lie and deceive folks while trying to build the bridge himself. The only bigger hypocrites are the lawmakers he has bought off.

My fellow American,

You words are so true!


This new deal for the Bridge is a win-win for the USA, the State of Michigan, and the Governor.

Good job Governor Synder.

[compn]

WWJ let the maroons have their say. guess its not expensive to buy a radio station.

we need another bridge! is matty even going to repair his bridge? that thing [[and the tunnel) probably need some repairs..

[7miledog]

I wonder if Gov. Snyder and the entourage from Canada and DC took the Ambassador over from the earlier announcement in Canada to the one in Detroit?

[Hypestyles]

I hope that this project gets fast-tracked, and that any residents in Delray are not lowballed for their properties. There also needs to be a public information campaign to get the facts out about this, as likely the DIBC will continue to run the negative ads. At this point a lot of local folks are convinced of an inherent "crookedness" of the deal, especially if they didn't vote for Snyder.. Whatever his other faults in policy choices, this isn't another "jewel-raid" conspiracy..

[401don]

I understand why Windsor wants trucks off their surface streets but I also think their hotels/restaurants are going to lose the long distance leisure traveller who used to stop in Windsor. Once that new span puts you right onto the 401 you will continue on to your destination, maybe staying over in London or Niagara if your ultimate destination is too far.

[Richard]

I hope that this project gets fast-tracked, and that any residents in Delray are not lowballed for their properties. There also needs to be a public information campaign to get the facts out about this, as likely the DIBC will continue to run the negative ads. At this point a lot of local folks are convinced of an inherent "crookedness" of the deal, especially if they didn't vote for Snyder.. Whatever his other faults in policy choices, this isn't another "jewel-raid" conspiracy..

I am the boss and you are the employee do not question just just do as I say when I say.

They are not going to tell anyone the facts or if they do it is on a need to know bases,so it is kinda hard to say that somebody else is running a negative campaign if you do not have the facts. you play off of the fact that many are blinded by emotions and are distracted from demanding the facts.

So you kinda have to look at everything in the big picture and see why there is so much interest and who stands to gain the most.

They are telling you that no Michigan taxpayers are going to put any funds into the bridge.

What they are doing is using Canada's 500 million to leverage the 2 billion that the feds are putting in towards roads.Because they could not get the funds without their skin in the game ie. the 500 million down payment.

So they tell you and make it spelled out clearly NO Michigan taxpayers funds.

So now the legislator says it is now law that no Michigan taxpayer funds can be used point blank,Michigan taxpayers pay federal taxes,federal taxes are being used to build the bridge,so Michigan taxpayers are funding the bridge.

The whole issue about using Chinese steel cemented that theory because it was printed that if US steel was used in the construction it would add millions to the price.

The US Gov is clear if you build any thing using US Gov funds you must use US products,if US taxpayers were not footing any of the bill why would that apply?

Has the state shown a clear plan about Delray?
They told you how it is going down,this is going to be how it is,get mad at Matty right wrong or otherwise he is questing every step of the way which is exactly what the city that will be effected the most should have also done.

But the city is broke so they will do whatever it takes to get those funds from the state to make payday.

To me this whole EFM and bridge debacle is not about a bridge or a EFM it is about the way it is being done.

The Governor stood on his soapbox and said the state of Michigan does not care about outside investment and prefers that the investment come within.He has the power to smash any out investment that does not suit his profile.

The EFM the Bridge everything is about dictating what will happen and nobody has a say and if they do they run the risk of being fired?

Michigan and Detroit are a part of this country and this country is still a democracy ,I think anyways. How do you tell the taxpayers what is going to happen without allowing their input?It is the Goveners duty to provide the clear facts to the taxpayers as he works for them not the other way around.

He is playing you by diverting your anger towards past history so instead of having a clear mind to question what exactly is going on and demanding the facts before it is approved so you do not regret it later.

[Gistok]

Where's the announcement?.....

[Richard]

Where's the announcement?.....

Mr LaHood can stop it in its lanes.

[RO_Resident]

Where's the announcement?.....

Governor Snyder on Why We Need A New Bridge Now
June 15, 2012
By Governor Rick Snyder
You might not realize it, but Detroit is the busiest commercial border crossing in North America. Some 8,000 trucks cross the bridge into Canada each day, and all of that trade supports 257,000 jobs across Michigan. But unless we act now, those jobs could be in jeopardy because of our total dependence on the 83-year-old Ambassador Bridge as the primary point of entry into our neighbor to the north.


That's why I'm so excited to announce today a new agreement between Michigan and Canada that lays the groundwork for the New International Trade Crossing -- a bridge between Detroit and Windsor that is vital to protecting Michigan's jobs and $70 billion-a-year trade with Canada. The best part of the agreement is that the bridge will create thousands of new jobs - including 10,000 Michigan jobs related to the project -- and it won't cost Michigan taxpayers one penny.


Read the rest here:
http://www.michigan.gov/snyder/0,466...0583--,00.html

[Bham1982]

We already have three international crossings, none at capacity, and now we need a fourth, because Windsor doesn't like trucks.

Did anyone ask whether the residents of SW Detroit like trucks? That's already the densest and most polluted Detroit neighborhood, and it's about to get much worse.

But the Mexicans and rednecks have no political clout, so I guess they don't matter to the Governor. And Maroun sounds like a buffoon, so whatever hurts him is fine by most folks, I guess...

[Meddle]

We're also the biggest bottleneck on the Pan-American highway. So we're also impeding progress.

http://www.detroitnews.com/article/2...text|FRONTPAGE

This is the part I don't get. This bridge will not be part of that highway in either country. That route is I-69 through Jackson, Lansing and Port Huron.

[Jason]

We already have three international crossings, none at capacity, and now we need a fourth, because Windsor doesn't like trucks.

Did anyone ask whether the residents of SW Detroit like trucks? That's already the densest and most polluted Detroit neighborhood, and it's about to get much worse.

But the Mexicans and rednecks have no political clout, so I guess they don't matter to the Governor. And Maroun sounds like a buffoon, so whatever hurts him is fine by most folks, I guess...

The trucks will really only be on the freeway though, and the plaza and bridge area is already separated from the neighborhood by the highway and industrial.

The new plazas will help traffic move through faster, and the fact that it will connect to the freeway on the Canadian side will speed things up. Shaving that time off is a big deal for trucking.

[rb336]

Three? the bridge, the tunnel, which doesn't take trucks and what? are you including the train tunnel? and every time I go by the bridge, it looks pretty packed. your view is incredibly myopic. You don't wait to build a bridge until the existing crossings are overloaded, If you do that, you will redirect traffic to Buffalo, traffic that won't come back. People in Delray are split on the bridge, and they already have problems with truck traffic. The area around the new bridge is actually one of the LEAST densely populated. got to google maps and take a look

[Scottathew]

This is great news. The folks saying we don't need another bridge are laughable, as even Matty is trying to build one; the only difference is that instead of having a new crossing with a direct freeway connection, additional plaza capacity, and one that takes trucks out of Windsor, Matty just wants all the money to himself.

Nothing wrong with making money. However, when the PEOPLE speak and want a public project done, get out of the way and stop holding up progress just so you can get a little more money before you pass [[he's got to be really old).

[Shollin]

So basically Richard is saying we need to vote for every infrastructure project. I can't wait till November so I can vote to repair a pothole on Van Dyke.

[Scottathew]

So basically Richard is saying we need to vote for every infrastructure project. I can't wait till November so I can vote to repair a pothole on Van Dyke.

Ding.

What I still find amazing is that every republican in state is paid off except the most important one. Not only did Snyder say that he was for the bridge, but he's actually going to make it happen despite all the greased pockets.

[Bham1982]

Three? the bridge, the tunnel, which doesn't take trucks and what?

Obviously the Blue Water Bridge, which was twin-spanned relatively recently, has additional capacity, and is the most direct route to Canada's industrial heartland.

If you do that, you will redirect traffic to Buffalo, traffic that won't come back.

Buffalo is in the opposite direction. Why would westbound traffic from Canada go eastbound through Buffalo? There are currently no westbound capacity issues.

People in Delray are split on the bridge, and they already have problems with truck traffic. The area around the new bridge is actually one of the LEAST densely populated. got to google maps and take a look

I'm not talking about Delray, which essentially doesn't exist. I'm talking about SW, which is probably the densest and definitely the most polluted neighborhood in MI.

All the on-ramps will tear through SW, and the traffic and pollution will further the area.

What was the point of the mega-I-75 rebuilding? If we wanted another bridge, why did we just spend a half-billion to fix the access to the old one?

They just demolished like half of the original Mexicantown to supposedly fix Ambassador Bridge access. Now that they're done, and the area is an empty wasteland [[checked out the "International Visitor Center and Mercado" lately?), they're moving down to where all the Mexicans moved, to do the same thing.

Watch for Lincoln Park and environs to become Mexicantown 2030.

[Scottathew]

What was the point of the mega-I-75 rebuilding? If we wanted another bridge, why did we just spend a half-billion to fix the access to the old one?

Because we need all the crossings.

Matty's bridge is a crucial part of our transportation infrastructure. Making access improvements to it benefits the public. That's why M-DOT has invested so much in it.

Just as the Blue Water and Ambassador are important, so is the proposed NITC.

You claim we need no more capacity. However, even Matty wants to use his private dollars to create more capacity at the Ambassador crossing by twinning the span and cramming even more traffic through the same congested toll area and through downtown Windsor.

[KOMPOST]

I'm not talking about Delray, which essentially doesn't exist. I'm talking about SW, which is probably the densest and definitely the most polluted neighborhood in MI.

All the on-ramps will tear through SW, and the traffic and pollution will further the area.

Ummmm...Delray is a neighborhood within "SW". As is Mexicantown, which is what I assume you're referring to as the "densest, most polluted" area.
This new bridge, on-ramps and all, will be in Delray.

But, judging from the rest of your comments, you're not too interested in facts regarding this issue.

[compn]

What I still find amazing is that every republican in state is paid off except the most important one.

or is he just waiting for a bigger payoff? whats to stop matty from paying off the state repubs and they drop snyder ? nothing.