Tag Archives: Matty Moroun

Does Anyone Trust Moroun?

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Ambassador Bridge wants to improve west Windsor
Bridge company president Dan Stamper says he wants to discuss improvements to west end

CBC News

The Ambassador Bridge company wants a meeting with Windsor mayor Eddie Francis and city council.

The bridge company owns more than 150 properties in the city’s west end and it says it wants to discuss improvements to the neighbourhood.

Bridge president Dan Stamper said in a letter that he’s tired of fighting and thinks it’s possible to put down “the swords” and accomplish good things for Windsor.

Francis said the only way a meeting will happen is if the bridge executive agrees not to talk about building a second span.

“It’s the Ambassador Bridge doing what the Ambassador Bridge does. It says one thing and does and acts completely opposite of what they say their intentions are,” Francis alleges. “The ball is in their court. We got a number of other priorities on out list that keep us busy and focused but we are going to continue to protect the interests of this community and we are going to continue to ensure that the public interest is maintained.”

Francis said he will not formally respond to the letter.

He and Stamper did meet earlier in the year, but there was no agreement.

Coun. Ron Jones, who represents the west end, doesn’t believe the bridge will ever get the necessary permits to build a second span.

He said any type of meeting would have to involve the community in a public forum.

“I want to discuss the boarded up houses in west Windsor. I want to talk about routes, about hazardous materials, there’s a pile of things we can talk about at that meeting,” Jones said. “But the public has a right to know.”

Editorial: State must continue fight for bridge

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Detroit-Windsor crossing vital to economy

Now that Michigan has received a needed federal permit to proceed with the New International Trade Crossing, one point cannot be more clear: Those who care about the state’s economic future must fight valiantly to assure this project is successfully completed.

The NITC is the name for the proposed new bridge between Detroit and Windsor — a new bridge that many analysts consider essential to the state’s future prosperity.

Gov. Rick Snyder has worked tirelessly on advancing the new bridge, carving a deal with Canadian authorities that will allow the much-needed project to proceed despite objections from Manuel Moroun, owner of the Detroit International Bridge Co. which operates the existing Ambassador Bridge.

The Ambassador has been a privately owned bridge since its construction in the 1920s. Moroun, like any good business man, is defending his interests as he fights to block a competing crossing. But the interests of one billionaire and his family are not the interests of Michigan’s people — no matter how many millions he spends trying to thwart the effort with advertising campaigns and constitutional amendments. (A ballot proposal he sponsored in an effort to block the bridge was wisely and soundly defeated by Michigan voters last November.)

Recall, the bridge is considered so vital by Canada that it has signed on to lend Michigan the $550 million share of the construction costs, to be paid back by future tolls.

Taxpayers will not be on the hook for construction costs, except to the extent that some federal money will be spent as the bridge is, after all, a vital international trade crossing.

Canadian officials say that one-quarter of all trade between the two nations passes through Detroit and Windsor, which is the busiest crossing between the two nations.

Snyder predicts bridge construction could create 12,000 direct jobs and 31,000 indirect jobs. Southeast Michigan economic development officials project the new bridge could help add 66,000 additional jobs to the state and increase its prominence as a logistics hub.

The Morouns will keep fighting; they already have one federal lawsuit filed. Snyder, the state’s congressional delegation and its business leaders must keep their eye on the prize. To have a thriving future, Michigan needs the new bridge.

An LSJ editorial

A Bridge to Somewhere

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metrotimes

By Jack Lessenberry

The other hero is a retired Free Press investigative reporter and blogger, Joel Thurtell, who first brought this story to my attention in 2008, after he discovered Moroun had seized portions of a city park and posted phony “Homeland Security” no trespassing signs.

When Thurtell went there, a shotgun-toting Moroun goon drove him away. The reporter posted pictures and a story. Soon after, I wrote about this. Eventually, the “mainstream media” started to.

It isn’t over until it’s over. Expect more dirty tricks till, someday, they close the lid on Matty.

But there really will be a new bridge.

Southwest Detroit contractor pipeline for New International Trade Crossing being established

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By David Muller | MLive.com

DETROIT, MI – The Southwest Detroit Congress of Communities has announced that it will be assessing which local contractors can qualify for Michigan Department of Transportation contracts for work on the New International Trade Crossing.

On Friday, Gov. Rick Snyder and federal officials announced the U.S. State Department has issued a permit for construction of the NITC, a $3.5 billion bridge that will connect Detroit to Windsor, Ontario.

The Congress of Communities said that it is looking for pre-qualified contractors to do road and bridge construction and repair, concrete or hot asphalt mixing and paving, pavement marking, concrete curb and sidewalk work, street lighting, sewer installation, signing and landscaping.

At the same time, the Southwest Detroit Business Association and Pure Michigan are partnering to hire a full-time staff member to help local contractors get pre-qualified with MDOT and then to assist them with the bidding process.

“This is simply an assessment of contractors in a our community, not a guarantee of pre-qualification,” Congress of Communities said in a statement. A spokeswoman for the program could not immediately be reached Tuesday morning.

In the past, SDBA president Kathleen Wendler has said the organization was working to ensure that work on the new bridge would come from the area that it is impacting the most, namely the Del Ray neighborhood and Southwest Detroit – where the foot of the structure will land in the U.S. – rather than from out-of-state contractors.

The Congress of Communities said it will later pass local contractors’ information on to the SDBA and Pure Michigan. The process is expected to begin in about six months.

Here we go again

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The Windsor Star

Anne Jarvis

And you thought the epic battle for a new bridge was over.

Oh no it’s not. Wake up. Another one just started.

The day after Michigan Governor Rick Snyder announced that U.S. President Barack Obama had signed the permit for the new government bridge between Windsor and Detroit, a draft report on the Ambassador Bridge’s planned new crossing was released. Make no mistake: the Ambassador Bridge is hell-bent on keeping its lucrative truck route. And like the decade-long battle over the new government bridge and the Herb Gray Parkway, this will be another epic struggle to protect Windsor.

The Canadian Transit Company wants to build a six-lane cable-stayed bridge 30 metres west of the Ambassador Bridge. That’s bigger than the existing span, which is four lanes. Over and over in the report, the new crossing is called a replacement span. But it’s not. When it opens, the existing span will be fixed and maintained. So instead of one bridge with rumbling trucks spewing diesel particulate, dividing the city like a virtual wall, there will be two – 10 lanes of traffic.

These trucks will go to a 19-acre expanded customs plaza on the southwest corner of Huron Church Road and College Avenue. There are a lot of houses south and west of there. Do you want to live next to 19 acres of trucks? The University of Windsor’s 2,000-seat stadium is across Huron Church from the proposed plaza. Do the Lancers want to play next to 19 acres of trucks? Assumption College School is south of the stadium. Do you want your children going to classes next to 19 acres of trucks?

It’s not clear how trucks will get to the new bridge, but under the proposal, Huron Church would be “realigned” around the plaza. The city suspects the bridge wants to close Huron Church to local traffic north of College and make it a truck route.

Didn’t we just spend 10 years fighting to get trucks off city streets? And now we’re considering putting them back on Huron Church, roaring and puffing past homes, schools, businesses, the university and Assumption Church. The city would lose part of a major north-south artery and access to the downtown we’re trying to revitalize and the riverfront.  (Remember the bridge blocked access to northbound Huron Church five years ago.)

The company says it will landscape a five-acre strip west of Huron Church between College and Mill Street to provide a buffer for Sandwich. Will this be landscaping Detroit style? Look at the bridge’s property there. There’s no landscaping. There are acres of pavement and a massive wall. Look at the current plaza on the Canadian side. See any landscaping? It’s not their forte.

The report, prepared by Transport Canada and the Windsor Port Authority, examines 17 potential ways the new crossing could affect Windsor, from air quality to noise and vibration to cultural heritage. It reaches the  same conclusion every time: “Taking into account the application of all appropriate mitigation measures…the project is not likely to result in significant adverse environmental effects…”

Particulate in the air will be higher than it should be, but it will be monitored. Noise will be louder than it should be, but noise barriers will be installed, as high as 5.5 metres along west side of the plaza. How would you like to look at that while you barbecue? To minimize vibration, already perceptible, the surface of the road will be smooth – until spring, when the potholes appear. Rest assured maintenance will be a priority, just like landscaping. No heritage buildings will be demolished or moved, according to the report, so that’s not a problem

Who writes these reports! The bridge already cuts off historic, colourful Sandwich, where the city is spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to revitalize its birthplace. Ten lanes? Just amputate the entire west end.

The report spends pages outlining how it will require the bridge to submit detailed plans to monitor and report on the effects of its new span yada, yada. The bridge had plenty of legal obligations in the infamous Gateway Project  in Michigan. Bridge owner Matty Moroun was finally jailed for refusing to comply.

And don’t forget, Michigan is recommending that hazardous materials – radioactive, poisonous and flammable stuff – be allowed to cross the bridge.

We just spent 10 years and what will be billions of dollars for a new bridge, inspection plaza and highway where they should be: away from the city’s core. Now, as Mayor Eddie Francis summed it up, “we’re talking about building a brand new bridge with a brand new plaza next to an existing bridge in a very dense urban setting with an established culturally significant neighbourhood.”

Why?

Francis will ask council Monday to approve spending up the $150,000 to hire environmental lawyer David Estrin, the city’s former counsel on the parkway, to respond to the proposal for the latest new crossing. Bring him on.

Building a bridge to somewhere

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The Washington Post

By Al Kamen

Is the Obama White House media-shy these days?

Seems the State Department granted a permit last week for a major U.S.-Canada construction project.

(Rebecca Cook/Reuters) – Michigan Governor Rick Snyder announces that the U.S. State Department has issued a key permit allowing Michigan and Canada to proceed with constructing a new bridge over the Detroit River between Detroit and Windsor, Ontario.

More from In the Loop:

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No, not that project, but a big one nonetheless: a $1 billion bridge over the Detroit River between Detroit and Windsor, Ontario, to relieve congestion and build trade over the most heavily used trade portal to this country. (There’s now only one bridge, privately owned and 80 years old, over the river.)

Estimates are that the project will cost $3.5 billion and create about 12,000 jobs directly and 31,000 indirectly (cement, steel and so forth) in the two countries, according to Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder (R).

The jobs would be split between the United States and Canada, but even at that, the total might be about what the controversial Keystone XL project would produce — depending on which of the wildly varying estimates is correct.

Even better, the Canadians are committed to paying Michigan’s half of the bridge’s construction cost, with future toll revenue paying off that debt.

So, let’s see, you’ve got: (1) a major infrastructure improvement project; (2) increased international trade; (3) bipartisan support; and (4) 20,000 American jobs being created.

To paraphrase Vice President Biden, seems like this is kind of a big deal. But only the Canadian and Michigan media paid much attention to the permit grant, which is the final go-ahead move. Media (including The Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal and so on) wrote short items Friday and Saturday based mostly on wire reports.

The State Department issued a statement last week noting the permit, but, best we can tell, the White House, perhaps focused on guns, nuclear threats, immigration and so forth, was quiet.

Well, Obama won Michigan and Ohio last time, so…

Tom Walsh: New bridge is an opportunity region can’t waste

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By Tom Walsh
Detroit Free Press Business Writer

Now that President Barack Obama and the U.S. State Department have officially chosen to accept Canada’s gift of a free bridge at the Detroit-Windsor border crossing by issuing a permit for the project, Michigan’s obligation is to put it to good use.

That’s not a given in a state that has squandered or underutilized assets in the past. More on that later.

First, we can celebrate the green light given to the New International Trade Crossing (NITC) for what it is — a symbol of a region looking forward, investing in growth.

“For those of us who are in the economic development business, it gives us something to sell. We now will have a visible symbol and an actual tool to make it a lot easier to attract companies that are involved in international trade,” said Sandy Baruah, president and CEO of the Detroit Regional Chamber.

David Egner, head of the New Economy Initiative for Southeastern Michigan, said research has shown that Michigan could create a series of logistics hubs that would yield 66,000 new jobs — partly by capturing business that now flows through congested Chicago — but only if a new border crossing provides capacity to handle more traffic.

“It could change the game, including for the west side of the state,” Egner said. “This is a perfect east-west partnership, because today if manufacturers on the west side ship through Chicago, it sits for three days before it moves.”

While border crossing data show that Ambassador Bridge traffic has not fully recovered from the slump after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the NITC project suggests a brighter future, a region on the move.

“The past trajectory of the bridge traffic has mirrored the trajectory of the Big Three automakers,” Baruah said. “As we see their sales start to spike, their challenge is that if the capacity of the bridge between the U.S. and Canada is constrained, then where are they going to add future capacity to build their cars, now that their trajectory is higher?”

The near-term stimulus of construction jobs is important, too. “This bridge is going to take years to build and will probably have, at various times, tens of thousands of people working on it,” Baruah said. “Even though those are short-term jobs, they feed a narrative of good things happening in Michigan.”

When I asked Gov. Rick Snyder on Friday whether Ambassador Bridge owner Manuel (Matty) Moroun might now be ready to drop efforts to block the NITC project, Snyder said he hasn’t seen any such signals yet, but he is open to discussion on how the public and private bridges could coexist.

“You hope at some point that people recognize this project’s going to move forward because it’s for the benefit of Michiganders,” Snyder said. “I’m always open, and I hope the Canadians are open to sitting down to talk. This is one of those milestones that hopefully reinforces the fact that this project should happen and will happen.”

Whatever tack Moroun takes with the existing bridge, it’s crucial that Michigan’s business and civic leaders hunker down seriously to maximize the benefits of the NITC by laying the groundwork for new industries and for expanding existing businesses.

A classic example of failing to capitalize on a major asset has been the region’s lackluster effort to take advantage of the outstanding McNamara Terminal and other upgrades at Detroit Metro Airport.

It has been 11 years now since the 122-gate, $1.2-billion McNamara Terminal opened, winning raves from travelers and the news media alike. But once visitors leave Metro Airport’s baggage claim area, they are peeved to discover they must fork over $70 for a ride to a downtown Detroit business hotel, or nearly $90 to get to Birmingham.

How can a region that’s serious about business and growth put up with the lack of even a mediocre system of shuttles to get people from the airport to major lodging and conference spots in the region? Thankfully, the Metro Detroit Convention & Visitors Bureau is working on a proposal to improve airport transit. Let’s hope they come up with something workable — and soon.

Meanwhile, we should look at the new bridge the same way we look at the airport: It’s a tremendous potential asset, but it must leveraged.

Just as there’s been much talk about the growth potential of an Aerotropolis development area between Metro and Willow Run airports, there has also been much talk of maximizing the busy border crossing to attract more logistics and freight business.

“There are bunches of plans on paper, but nothing that’s been done in an aggregated manner that makes sense and that the state has embraced,” Egner said.

By the time shovels are in the ground for NITC construction, let’s hope there’s movement on how best to take advantage of it.

Next up for bridge plan: Buying land

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U.S. permit clears way, but Ambassador owner holds key properties

By Chad Livengood
Detroit News Lansing Bureau

Detroit — Construction of a long-sought new Detroit River crossing took a major step forward Friday with the signing of a presidential permit clearing the way for Canada and Michigan to assemble land for the $2.1 billion six-lane bridge.

The U.S. State Department announced approval of the bridge on Friday. It ends a lengthy review conducted in part to ensure the New International Trade Crossing can survive legal challenges from Ambassador Bridge owner Manuel “Matty” Moroun, who has spent millions of dollars trying to block the project for nearly a decade.

“This is huge,” Gov. Rick Snyder said Friday afternoon in announcing the permit. “It’s more than a bridge to me. It’s about jobs and our future in this state.”

Canadian leaders view it as their country’s biggest transportation project and have agreed to front Michigan’s $550 million share of the cost, which will be repaid through toll revenue. The Canadians also have pledged to reimburse Michigan taxpayers for any expenses the state Department of Transportation incurs in connecting the new bridge to Interstate 75 through a new international plaza in southwest Detroit.

But the Snyder administration and Canadian government still will have to deal with an old nemesis as they try to finish assembling land in Detroit for the project. One of Moroun’s companies owns a handful of parcels in the area now targeted for inclusion in the footprint required for the bridge and plaza.

Much of the vacant land in the area is already owned by the city. But Moroun has bought a hodgepodge of property across southwest Detroit in the area where different bridge proposals were planned, including a few between Jefferson and Fort and Green and Campbell that will be needed for the new bridge and highway interchange.

Legal challenges continue

In an interview Friday, Snyder said the state Department of Transportation will treat Moroun like any other landowner as the agency assembles land on behalf of a new international authority that will own and operate the bridge.

“There won’t be any change in process for what’s owned by the Morouns versus any other landholder,” Snyder said.

Snyder declined to say whether MDOT would have to seize Moroun’s land through eminent domain, where the state takes property but still compensates the owner for its value. The seizure process is legal for public uses such as roads and bridges.

“I’m not going to speculate on that, that’s their choice,” Snyder said. “Hopefully they’ll make what they consider the appropriate decision. … Because I’ve never tried to fight with them.”

A spokesman for Moroun’s Detroit International Bridge Company did not return calls Friday seeking comment.

The Morouns do not own land on the Canadian side that would be required for the new bridge, said Roy Norton, the Canadian consulate general to Detroit.

Moroun’s company has a pending federal lawsuit seeking to stop the bridge, claiming the Ambassador Bridge has an exclusive franchise to operate a lucrative Detroit-to-Windsor bridge that dates to a nine-decade-old act of Congress and the Canadian Parliament.

State Rep. Fred Durhal, D-Detroit, recently sued Snyder, challenging the governor’s legal authority to enter into an agreement with Canada without the state Legislature’s approval. After legislation authorizing a new bridge failed to get out of a Senate committee in 2011, Snyder bypassed the Legislature and signed a deal with Canadian officials last June that calls for Canada to finance the bridge.

Construction in 2015?

With the presidential permit in hand, Snyder said construction could begin as early as 2015, depending on legal challenges. The crossing may open for traffic by 2020, he said. The project is expected to create 12,000 direct construction jobs and as many as 31,000 indirect jobs.

“A lot of people are looking forward to that day when they’re going to step on or drive on that new crossing … most likely it will be after I’m finished in office,” Snyder said.

Scott Brines, 41, who lives in the Delray community, said Friday’s announcement brought a “sigh of relief” in the community that wants green space buffers and environmental protections from the new bridge complex.

“More than a buffer, we need to see a real dent in the air quality,” said Brines, president of the Southwest Detroit Community Benefits Coalition. “This is the opportunity this community has waited for a very long time.”

Landowners want to be compensated fairly for their property if it falls in the path of the bridge and plaza, Brines said.

“I’m not so sure how fair it will be, but they’ll have to be compensated,” said attorney Alan Ackerman, who represents 20 property owners in Delray. “The fact is if the government really needs it and it’s a public use, the government’s going to get it.”

Tim Boik, owner of West Detroit Parts, an auto parts store on West Fort Street, said he has “no problem” with moving and hopes Moroun and other landowners will not drag out the project any longer.

“He’s just delaying something that’s actually going to happen,” Boik said. “Everybody’s excited because the city’s been dying off for years, and it’s going to bring some new life into it.”

Snyder: Permit for Detroit-Windsor bridge is about state’s future

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By David Shepardson and Chad Livengood
The Detroit News

The Obama administration has approved a presidential permit clearing the way for a new $2 billion six-lane bridge crossing between Detroit and Windsor — hailed by Michigan and Canada as a way to boost trade and create thousands of jobs.

The State Department, which informed Michigan and Canadian officials of the planned decision late Thursday, formally announced approval on Friday. The lengthy review was in part to ensure that the decision can survive multiple legal challenges of the New International Trade Crossing.

“This is huge,” Gov. Rick Snyder said Friday afternoon in announcing the permit. “It’s more than a bridge to me. It’s about jobs and our future in this state.”

U.S. and Canadian officials hailed the presidential permit as a step toward strengthening trading relations between the two countries.

“It’s a real significant step forward for everybody,” Canada Labor Minister Lisa Raitt said at the announcement.

“We have taken today what is undoubtedly the greatest relationship between two neighbors anywhere in the world and we’ve made it a little better,” said David Jacobson, U.S. ambassador to Canada. “And that’s something to be proud of.”

But not everyone is satisfied with the bridge plans.

State Rep. Rashida Tlaib, the Democrat who represents the southwest Detroit area where the crossing will be built, said she welcomes the bridge, but residents need a legally binding agreement to address issues such as air quality, jobs and community oversight.

“Gov. Rick Snyder and the United States and Canadian governments have yet to effectively address the negative impacts on the residents, local businesses and churches in Detroit that will directly be impacted by this massive project,” Tlaib said in a statement. “… The project must include a comprehensive plan that creates permanent jobs for Michigan families and supports local businesses and a community benefits process.”

Snyder said the major construction project is expected to create 12,000 direct jobs and as many as 31,000 indirect jobs.

“Getting Michigan-made products to more markets faster will enhance our economic competitiveness in the future and help our state create more jobs,” he said in a statement.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood lauded Snyder for his “tireless leadership” while praising the economic benefits of the bridge.

“The New International Trade Crossing will be much more than just a bridge connecting Detroit to Windsor, Ontario,” LaHood said in a statement. “As those who have worked so hard to move this project forward know, it will be an economic engine for the entire region.”

Still, the bridge faces legal challenges.

Several lawsuits have been filed to stop the span, which would compete with the privately owned Ambassador Bridge. The Detroit International Bridge Co., which owns the Ambassador Bridge and is controlled by Manuel “Matty” Moroun, filed suit in Washington in November to block it. The suit is pending. Moroun also spent millions trying to convince Michigan voters in a failed referendum last November to block the bridge.

Canada, which has been calling the new bridge the Detroit River International Crossing, praised Friday’s announcement.

“Canada and the United States are each other’s most important trading partners. The presidential permit represents an important step towards a new bridge, which will be needed for growing trade and traffic at the busiest Canada-U.S. commercial border crossing with over 8,000 trucks crossing each day,” said Canadian Labor Minister Lisa Raitt. “This project will create thousands of jobs and opportunities on both sides of the border both during the construction period and in the years to come.”

The State Department also has scheduled a telephone briefing Friday for members of Congress.

Jeff Watson, a member of parliament for Essex, called the approval a “vital” one.

“One-quarter of all U.S.-Canada trade, which is the world’s largest two-way trading relationship, crosses at Windsor-Detroit,” Watson said. “The Detroit River International Crossing will make a vital contribution to our community, the auto industry, Canada’s economy and the well-being of both countries.”

Rep. Gary Peters, D-Bloomfield Township, applauded the news as “a huge win for southeast Michigan, and we can expect thousands of much needed new jobs now that construction can begin. The Detroit-Windsor border is already the single busiest trade corridor between the U.S. and Canada, but this crossing will transform Greater Detroit into a global transportation hub”

Rep. John Dingell, D-Dearborn, said the U.S. Coast Guard still must approve the state’s pending permit to allow the project to move forward. The state must acquire additional land to build the bridge

“This bridge will be of an enormous help to the state of Michigan and the industries that call it home —including our valuable automotive sector,” Dingell said. “It will allow for more efficient international transfer of our goods and services, and is sure to increase exports from our home state. More importantly, this project will create 10,000 construction jobs in Michigan, and will encourage the creation of permanent jobs that new business will bring.”

Southeastern Michigan leaders also hailed the news.

“This is great news for Michigan,” Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson said. “We need this critical piece of infrastructure to support trade with Canada, which provides more than 230,000 jobs in Michigan, including 41,000 jobs in Oakland County.”

The new Detroit-Windsor bridge is supported by more than 175 business, labor, and community leaders and organizations representing more than 10,000 businesses and hundreds of thousands of Michigan employees.

“This is great news for Michigan and North America. To ensure our companies can compete, they need the infrastructure to connect them to the marketplace,” said Andy Johnston, vice president of government and corporate affairs, Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce. “The New International Trade Crossing is a key platform for improving the flow of trade, and it will play a vital role in creating and supporting economic growth, including right here in West Michigan.”

Officials say the new bridge should boost trade between the nations while reducing congestion.

“The New International Trade Crossing expands our markets with our largest trading partner and will position Michigan as a global trade hub for decades to come,” said Paul Tait, executive director, Southeast Michigan Council of Governments (SEMCOG). “This bridge will make freight movement more efficient and give our border critical backup to expand our region’s standing in the market.”

Snyder has held several meetings in Washington this year with the Obama administration about the permit. Snyder’s office issued a media advisory Thursday saying the governor would hold a 2:30 p.m. news conference Friday to “discuss Michigan’s business climate and job creation at a growing Detroit business.”

Sandy Baruah, president and CEO of the Detroit Regional Chamber, said the Governor’s Office asked him to attend the event without detailing what would take place.

Baruah said he met with Canada’s ambassador to the United States, Gary Doer, about a month ago to discuss the bridge. He said Doer had recently returned from Washington after meeting with Secretary of State John Kerry about the permit.

“He indicated that he thought it was close and that Secretary Kerry gave him all of the positive signs,” Baruah said.

Rep. Fred Durhal, D-Detroit, recently filed a lawsuit in Ingham County Circuit Court challenging Snyder’s authority to enter into an agreement with Canada without the Legislature’s approval. After legislation authorizing a new bridge failed to get out of a Senate committee in 2011, Snyder bypassed the Legislature and signed a deal with Canadian officials last June that calls for Canada to build the bridge.

The Obama administration has backed a new Detroit bridge crossing since 2009, when then-Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood endorsed the idea, saying it would create thousands of jobs in construction and via additional trade. In January, LaHood said federal approval for the bridge crossing was expected soon.

“We’re just about over the finish line,” LaHood said in January. “They are working on it.”

Canada agreed to front Michigan’s $550 million share of the cost, which will have to be repaid through toll revenue. The Canadians also pledged to reimburse Michigan for any expenses the state Department of Transportation incurs in connecting the new bridge to Interstate 75 through a new international plaza.

The United States and Canada have the largest trading partnership in the world, totaling over $524 billion in merchandise trade in 2010. Thirty-five states have Canada as their largest foreign trade-partner, and 57 percent — $297 billion — of U.S.-Canada trade moves by truck, according to the Michigan application.

Approximately 31 percent of truck transported trade, or $91.4 billion, between the United States and Canada passes through the Detroit River area and reaches markets across the nation.

U.S. and Canadian trade supports over 8 million U.S. jobs; approximately 237,000 Michigan jobs; and 1 in 3 Canadian jobs. The Detroit-Windsor border is the busiest trade corridor on the U.S.-Canada border and the second busiest trade corridor in North America.

‘This is all about jobs for today and tomorrow’; Snyder lauds federal government’s approval of key NITC permit

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Originally posted by Governor Rick Snyder

DETROIT – Gov. Rick Snyder today welcomed federal issuance of a key permit needed to proceed with the New International Trade Crossing, a project expected to create 12,000 jobs and enhance Michigan’s economic future.

Michigan applied for the Presidential Permit on June 21, 2012, days after Snyder signed the historic NITC crossing agreement with Canadian officials. Effectiveness of the agreement was subject to approval by the U.S. State Department. The department conducted an extended public comment period before approving the permit, which now makes the Michigan-Canada agreement operative. While other steps remain before NITC construction begins, they hinged on Michigan’s ability to secure a Presidential Permit.

“This is all about jobs for today and tomorrow,” Snyder said. “This is a major construction project that is expected to create 12,000 direct jobs and as many as 31,000 indirect jobs. Getting Michigan-made products to more markets faster will enhance our economic competitiveness in the future and help our state create more jobs.

“This project is important for the future of Michigan, the United States and Canada. I appreciate the U.S. State Department’s thorough review as well as the continued support of our Canadian partners. This new trade crossing will make Michigan stronger in many ways.”

The U.S. State Department determined that the NITC will “serve the national interest” for several reasons, including its job-creation benefits, advancement of America’s foreign policy interests, promotion of cross-border trade and commerce, and added capacity to accommodate expected border traffic growth.

The NITC will be built at no cost to Michigan taxpayers and will provide a modern, strategically located bridge between Detroit and Windsor. It is supported by a broad coalition that includes business and labor. The project is vital to enhancing the $70 billion-a-year trade relationship between Michigan and Canada. It will generate thousands of short- and long-term jobs on both sides of the border, open trade markets, strengthen economic security and ease traffic congestion.

“Michigan is moving forward and the future is bright,” Lt. Gov. Brian Calley said. “We’re positioning the Detroit community and our entire state to thrive in the global economy. The NITC will open doors for entrepreneurs, farmers and manufacturers in every corner of our state. There’s still much work to be done but approval of the Presidential Permit is a significant step along Michigan’s path to prosperity. We look forward to working with the Delray community as this project progresses.”

The U.S. State Department issues Presidential Permits for the construction, connection, operation or maintenance of certain facilities at U.S. borders with Canada and Mexico. Permits are required for land crossings, bridges, pipelines, tunnels and tramways.

With the Presidential Permit in hand, next steps include naming members to the International Authority, planning for the relocation of utilities,  initiating the process for land acquisition and applying for a U.S. Coast Guard permit. The entire project will take about seven years and includes the building of interchange ramps and an inspection plaza. Construction of the actual bridge span is expected to begin in about two years.

The Federal Highway Administration granted Michigan’s request for  a Buy America waiver in December 2012, allowing for the use of American and Canadian steel in the bridge.

The NITC will be a public bridge operated by a private concessionaire. Its benefits include:

  • The creation of about 12,000 direct and as many as 31,000 indirect jobs related to construction.
  • Allowing Michigan to use Canada’s generous contribution of up to $550 million as eligible matching funds for U.S. federal aid to support the state’s highway projects.
  • A new direct connection between I-75 in Michigan and Highway 401 in Canada that eases traffic congestion at the border and allows trucks to bypass residential communities. The existing bridge at the Detroit-Windsor crossing is the No. 1 traffic bottleneck in the entire Pan-American Freeway system.
  • Reducing costs to job providers, particularly the auto industry. Estimates show that border regulations and delays now add significant costs to vehicle production.
  • Minimizing the likelihood of an economic disaster for Michigan or Windsor should one of the other border crossings sustain lengthy shutdowns.
  • Additional border-crossing capacity to meet the long-term demands of our growing economies.
  • New investment being attracted to Michigan by this modern infrastructure.

The Michigan-Canada agreement allows for the creation of an International Authority to oversee the letting of bids to privately design, develop, finance, construct and operate the NITC. The Authority will be comprised of three members appointed by Canada and three members appointed by Michigan.

Construction cost of the bridge itself – not including other project components such as land acquisition and the I-75 interchange construction, which Canada will pay for directly – is estimated at $950 million. The cost will be paid by a private concessionaire and will be repaid by Canada through tolls.

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