DRIC approved by House

[BShea]

Michigan House OKs entry in Canada bridge project

By Bill Shea/Associated Press


The Democratic-led Michigan House narrowly passed legislation this afternoon that would let the state get involved in a project to build a new $5.3 billion bridge connecting Detroit and Windsor, Ontario.

The 56-51 vote Wednesday mostly along party lines is a partial victory for supporters of the proposed Detroit River International Crossing to connect Michigan and Canada. But it's unclear if the legislation will pass the Republican-led state Senate, which is the next step needed for the project to advance.

http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article...FREE/100529885

[Corktown Mark]

already a thread here
http://detroityes.com/mb/showthread.php?t=5758

[Retroit]

You mean to tell me that MDOT has been wasting all their time and OUR money planning this new bridge and harassing Maroun, and they didn't even have approval? Talk about putting the cart before the horse!

[1KielsonDrive]

You mean to tell me that MDOT has been wasting all their time and OUR money planning this new bridge and harassing Maroun, and they didn't even have approval? Talk about putting the cart before the horse!

Ha,ha,ha. Hee,hee,hee. You are SO funny.

[Gannon]

Is there NOTHING a few hundred thousand [[in political bribes passed around discreetly) cannot buy today?!


Poor Matty. Better turn it up a notch, fella. It is not too late to get a conscience, and at least come visit those of us who live on Earth...or at least a bit closer to ground level.

[DetroitPlanner]

You mean to tell me that MDOT has been wasting all their time and OUR money planning this new bridge and harassing Maroun, and they didn't even have approval? Talk about putting the cart before the horse!

Uhhh.... this is exactly why planning is done. You don't secure funding until you have a viable project. Not much sense in tying up a billion dollars if you run into environmental issues when you go to build it.

[Detroitnerd]

Uhhh.... this is exactly why planning is done. You don't secure funding until you have a viable project. Not much sense in tying up a billion dollars if you run into environmental issues when you go to build it.

Naw, you just get your money, go to Wal-Mart, buy a bridge and slap it down. Bought and paid-for. Just Superglue it to the cement and you're done.

[Retroit]

Uhhh.... this is exactly why planning is done. You don't secure funding until you have a viable project. Not much sense in tying up a billion dollars if you run into environmental issues when you go to build it.

But doesn't the planning itself require an appropriation of money, and isn't the legislature responsible for appropriating funds?

[kraig]

But doesn't the planning itself require an appropriation of money, and isn't the legislature responsible for appropriating funds?

Yes and yes. About 35 million was appropriated for the "study" about five or six years ago.

Here's the part that's not being focused on. When the toll revenues aren't enough to meet the payments on the $550,000,000.00 loan, and let's be crystal clear on this, no matter how it's presented, it's a loan, the state will have to make up the difference.

Let's also get crystal clear on something else, looking at the price tag of the DRIC, it wouldn't be able to pay for itself if it was the only crossing around, instead of being one of four. If the DRIC somehow managed to siphon off all of the traffic from the ambassador bridge it would still have to charge about $20.00 a toll just to pay for the contsruction of the new crossing. That's not even including day to day staffing and maintenance cost that will be necessary to keep the bridge operational.

There's no way they'll be able to stay open charging that much. So the only way that the DRIC will stay open is to charge a rate that's competitive with the Ambassador and have the taxpayers subsidize the difference.

That difference may come from the gas tax hike, if passed, and money that could be used to provide matching funds for federal money for the state's highways and roads.

[DetroitPlanner]

But doesn't the planning itself require an appropriation of money, and isn't the legislature responsible for appropriating funds?

Planning funds come from the Feds to the governor. In nearly all cases it is the repsonsibility of the governor to take care of the State roads and for the legislature to approve the budget. Since the building of a bridge of this magnitude will require special funding through bonds, this is what they are approving. In order to figure out how much to bond you must be far enough along in planning and preliminary engineering to have an idea of how much a project will cost.

Typically road and transit projects are funded through gasoline taxes and registration fees. These are split by formula to cities, villages, counties, MDOT and transit agencies. Without a bond for this project MDOT could not maintain their infrastructure and the state may have to cut the funding back severely for the operating of transit or the fixing of local roads.

[Meddle]

Has El Matte-Duh started deconstructing the Duty-Free store as ordered?

[Danny]

Don't you all just love America. Bureaucracy keeps other special proposed projects on hold.

[Gannon]

Danny,

You're not much a student of history, are ya?


Bureaucracy pre-dates our country, by many centuries.

We merely refined it to fit the current age.


Cheers!

[GOAT]

interesting that all privately owned border crossings are cheaper than gov't crossings. SO no, the state won't make up the payment differences.

[kraig]

interesting that all privately owned border crossings are cheaper than gov't crossings. SO no, the state won't make up the payment differences.

Huh? Even if your first statement were true. It has no bearing on your second statement. What are you attempting to say?