"Blue-Sky" Thinking on the Debacle of The Straight

**Gannon** · November-29-10, 10:44 AM

I'm listening with one ear to Craig Fahle's show...and they are talking about the bridge situation.

On a grander scale, I found myself imagining Matty 'giving' the current Ambassador Bridge to both the Detroit and Windsor city governments, then re-routing ALL that traffic [[and the tunnel) to a newly-created tourist zone in downtown Windsor...where Homeland Security screening is severely reduced, on purpose, to allow a more-free flow of individuals like the old days before 9/11.

So, the old Ambassador would be used for local traffic only...between Windsor and Detroit. Perhaps the tunnel could be re-purposed for that as well. Let casino tokens be used for tolls on both sides. Give us back the International Metropolis. [[sorry, Lowell or AIW, if that term is trademarked or copyrighted!)

Then give him a piece of the new bridge that Ontario is going to finance, but in a very controlled and limited manner. Matty will suffer some from a bridge closer to the Ohio state line and more directly linked to the 401 freeway...but perhaps we can turn his unbuilt one into a truck-only specialty with a tube to the freeway system.

Then...LET HIM BUILD HIS BRIDGE AND CONTINUE WITH THE INFRASTRUCTRURE that he so desperately desires to continue his empire...just with restrictions and funding for improvements at both ends.

He gets some of the other bridge's income, in order to offset some of the potential losses he may suffer. He maintains his freeway over the border for trucking companies which align themselves with his empire. Surely his trucking companies must enjoy some form of family discount on the current bridge!

We get free access to Windsor, with the potential of their downtown booming along with ours if any economic upturn ever happens. Families who've been separated due this heavy-handed Homeland Security lockdown will at least have a place they could meet and visit. They could use current GPS technology to track vehicles, insuring they stay within the new international metropolis boundary...connected across the river by the tunnel and bridge...devoid of the current hassles from excessive federal border enforcement.

I would go so far as to propose that Detroit and Windsor become some shared economic development zone that includes the experimental elimination of excessive federal and even state interference and oversight. They've largely given up on us anyways, so why not let us play in our own sandbox...they think we're in a pile of excrement.

So, the river would gain two bridges. One funded by the Ontario government, the other by Matty Maroun...his would be scaled down to handle less traffic, perhaps ONLY trucks! Detroit and Windsor would possibly become a tourism magnet, since we are a natural cross-roads for so much travel anyways.

Those who need to move at least SOME of the trucks from their current traffic-clogging urban routes can have a southern bridge feeding nearly directly off freeway systems on both sides...although as I can imagine, Matty's deep reach into the current trucking business will insure a certain number of trucks going a bit further to cross at his new bridge. Perhaps he can pay for the better scanning devices at both spans, and a raised-freeway down to Queen's Highway or even the 401 off his current location...and, while he's at it, fund a few credit unions in SE Detroit to further the micro-economics movement happening there.

I can imagine some win-win-win happening here...if we allow it. I'm ready for the bruises...I'm merely free-thinking some way around this situation...and have no grasp of the workings that might balance the negotiations. So...beat me up on specifics...but let's play a game at finding a solution to this mess. Thanks for reading this far, and NO, there is no way to get those five minutes back. Sorry.

Cheers

**GOAT** · November-29-10, 10:55 AM

That would be great but it won't happen for many reasons [[Homeland "scareity" being one). Plus Maroun always wants things his way and only his way. That old man never compromises and only wants win/win deals. Meaning win/win for him only.

But I do like what you have proposed. Too bad politicians can't get anything done any more.

I say build the new bridge [[yes it is needed people, moreso than you think) and get commerce going again.

**Gannon** · November-29-10, 11:32 AM

Even if his current bridge were to become auto-only...and there was SOME way to make the new span truck-only, and built low enough to not destroy the current sightlines.

Why don't we let him TUNNEL all the way to the Canadian Freeway system? Then all the diesel smoke could be filtered away...

**Gannon** · November-29-10, 11:36 AM

I'd bet there already IS a salt mine where the work has already been done underneath the river...this thing might pay for itself in a continuation of the 'dig' down to the 401!

**GOAT** · November-29-10, 11:49 AM

There are salt mines throughout the area but they wouldn't conform to any link to build a tunnel to an existing highway.

As for filtering exhaust, there is no such technology. Scrubbers for cleaning exhaust don't exist, just the fans to move the fumes out.

**Gannon** · November-29-10, 11:54 AM

Something to skim the largest particulates...which seem to be the worst of diesel output...might not slow the flow enough to be a problem.

I think that is why having the trucks drive by on I-75 in a trench isn't as bad as having them idle outside your child's bedroom window, also.

H-m-m-m-n-n.

It'd be more fun to make all trucks retrofit to run on biodiesel anyways...and force them to switch to it while driving underground and through the city. Let them run on petroleum diesel outside the cities...long distance.

**Gannon** · November-29-10, 11:56 AM

But we would all be driven mad by the smell of french fry-smelling exhaust.

**Gannon** · November-29-10, 12:02 PM

<sigh>

Even better if our diesel were hemp-based.

Time to look up the rumor that the diesel engine was originally developed to run on it anyways.

I'll be back...

**Detroitnerd** · November-29-10, 12:19 PM

The bridge will continue to be mostly freight and the tunnel mostly passenger. The tunnel has some height restrictions, yes? The bridge, not so much. And then once you have all those garbage trucks on the bridge, you'll never want to take your passenger car on it again -- without an oxygen tank, anyway.

**1KielsonDrive** · November-29-10, 02:06 PM

Originally Posted by Gannon

I'm listening with one ear to Craig Fahle's show...and they are talking about the bridge situation.

On a grander scale, I found myself imagining Matty 'giving' the current Ambassador Bridge to both the Detroit and Windsor city governments, then re-routing ALL that traffic [[and the tunnel) to a newly-created tourist zone in downtown Windsor...where Homeland Security screening is severely reduced, on purpose, to allow a more-free flow of individuals like the old days before 9/11.

So, the old Ambassador would be used for local traffic only...between Windsor and Detroit. Perhaps the tunnel could be re-purposed for that as well. Let casino tokens be used for tolls on both sides. Give us back the International Metropolis. [[sorry, Lowell or AIW, if that term is trademarked or copyrighted!)

Then give him a piece of the new bridge that Ontario is going to finance, but in a very controlled and limited manner. Matty will suffer some from a bridge closer to the Ohio state line and more directly linked to the 401 freeway...but perhaps we can turn his unbuilt one into a truck-only specialty with a tube to the freeway system.

Then...LET HIM BUILD HIS BRIDGE AND CONTINUE WITH THE INFRASTRUCTRURE that he so desperately desires to continue his empire...just with restrictions and funding for improvements at both ends.

He gets some of the other bridge's income, in order to offset some of the potential losses he may suffer. He maintains his freeway over the border for trucking companies which align themselves with his empire. Surely his trucking companies must enjoy some form of family discount on the current bridge!

We get free access to Windsor, with the potential of their downtown booming along with ours if any economic upturn ever happens. Families who've been separated due this heavy-handed Homeland Security lockdown will at least have a place they could meet and visit. They could use current GPS technology to track vehicles, insuring they stay within the new international metropolis boundary...connected across the river by the tunnel and bridge...devoid of the current hassles from excessive federal border enforcement.

I would go so far as to propose that Detroit and Windsor become some shared economic development zone that includes the experimental elimination of excessive federal and even state interference and oversight. They've largely given up on us anyways, so why not let us play in our own sandbox...they think we're in a pile of excrement.

So, the river would gain two bridges. One funded by the Ontario government, the other by Matty Maroun...his would be scaled down to handle less traffic, perhaps ONLY trucks! Detroit and Windsor would possibly become a tourism magnet, since we are a natural cross-roads for so much travel anyways.

Those who need to move at least SOME of the trucks from their current traffic-clogging urban routes can have a southern bridge feeding nearly directly off freeway systems on both sides...although as I can imagine, Matty's deep reach into the current trucking business will insure a certain number of trucks going a bit further to cross at his new bridge. Perhaps he can pay for the better scanning devices at both spans, and a raised-freeway down to Queen's Highway or even the 401 off his current location...and, while he's at it, fund a few credit unions in SE Detroit to further the micro-economics movement happening there.

I can imagine some win-win-win happening here...if we allow it. I'm ready for the bruises...I'm merely free-thinking some way around this situation...and have no grasp of the workings that might balance the negotiations. So...beat me up on specifics...but let's play a game at finding a solution to this mess. Thanks for reading this far, and NO, there is no way to get those five minutes back. Sorry.

Cheers

Great post Gannon. Lot's of good thought and ideas. I appreciate the time you put into it. Unfortunately the real wild card here is Manny himself. As we've seen for years, Manny isn't going to compromise on ANYTHING. Manny is ONLY in this for himself. He wants what he wants. That's it! F+#k everyone else! And he has the money to get what he wants, OR, at the very least, F+#k everyone else!