SARNIA, Ont. — The President of the Blue Water Bridge (BWB) linking Sarnia, Ont. and Port Huron, Mich. says he has no problem with a proposed new public-private bridge in nearby Windsor-Detroit.

In a letter to Detroit River International Crossing (DRIC) officials at the Ontario Ministry of Transportation, BWB President and CEO Chuck Chrapko reiterated the crown corporation’s support for the DRIC project, adding that the Sarnia-Port Huron border point would be largely unaffected by an additional crossing at the Detroit-Windsor Gateway.

The letter may have been a response to the privately-operated Ambassador Bridge’s lawsuit against DRIC, in which company lawyers claimed the DRIC bridge would "bankrupt" the three existing international crossings in the area — The Ambassador Bridge, the Blue Water Bridge and Detroit-Windsor Tunnel.

Instead, Chrapko wrote that DRIC is critical for continuing support of "the high volume of trade and social interaction" between Canada and the U.S. "well into the future."

Chrapko added that traffic volume forecasts show that border routes, and thus the border crossing, taken by a majority of cross border travelers is predetermined based on the vehicle’s destination to its origin.

"It is our belief that appropriately sized, modern border infrastructure at all crossing points can only enhance the overall use of commercial and personal ground transportation between Canada and the United States." 

The Blue Water Bridge is jointly controlled by the government of Canada and the Michigan Dept. of Transportation, which are both involved in the DRIC project.