DETROIT, (Mar. 30, 2005) — Ambassador Bridge officials reinforced their commitment to build a new span across North America’s busiest trade gateway yesterday, despite still not filing any official permit requests with authorities on either side of the border.

The Detroit News reports that Detroit International Bridge Co. — which owns the privately held Ambassador Bridge linking Detroit and Windsor, Ont. — is moving forward with plans announced last year to build a second, four-lane bridge either directly adjacent or connecting to the Ambassador.

The group, which is controlled by Michigan-based transport mogul and powerbroker Matty Moroun, has recently launched environmental studies for the bridge, according to the Detroit News.

Bridge Dan Stamper told the newspaper that there’s no question the group is moving forward with its plans, but it will likely be 18 months before the environmental studies are completed.

However, some critics questioned the company’s motivation for a new span, adding that nine months after announcing its intentions, Detroit International Bridge Co. has still not filed any paperwork with
Michigan state, federal or Canadian authorities.

Earlier this year N.Y.-based traffic expert Sam Schwartz released his acclaimed report to Windsor City Council, recommending a new bridge be built 3 km southwest of the Ambassador. Although he noted some merits with the Ambassador proposal, he did dismiss it in favour of the entirely new crossing in the industrial Brighton Beach area mainly because the Ambassador plan would ‘not add redundancy” and would further congest the gridlocked city streets of Windsor like Huron Church Rd.

Schwartz also suggested an entirely new truck route that straddles the border between Windsor and the suburb of Lasalle. His plan would lead trucks off the 401 to Talbot Rd. and then bypass Huron Church via a “horseshoe” route to the west through mostly vacant woodland. From there, Ojibway Parkway would carry the traffic north through Brighton Beach to the new “central” crossing.

Schwartz did not endorse any particular ownership of the new bridge, although he admitted to Today’s Trucking recently that he thought there should be some public oversight.

But as Today’s Trucking described in a recent op-ed (see Marco Beghetto’s “The Matty Factor” currently on TodaysTrucking.com) it’s very likely Moroun could control whichever crossing is decided on.

Various reports say Moroun pretty much owns, or is in the process of acquiring, the entire riverfront corridor on the Detroit side. Moreover, he also has building rights for overhead and bridge piers in the area where the new central crossing is supposed to land on the Detroit side.

“He’s not at checkmate yet. But he’s pretty close,” one source told Today’s trucking.

— with files from the Detroit News