DETROIT (June 11, 2003) — A coalition of U.S. and Canadian officials is stepping up its efforts to establish a third crossing between Michigan and Ontario.

Rising traffic congestion and choked trade flow at other crossings is the main reason the Canada-U.S.-Ontario-Michigan Border Transportation Partnership is seriously eyeing three possibilities for a new tunnel or bridge, each costing between $400 million to $600 million US. The push for the move comes on the heels of a recent study that shows Michigan and Ontario could lose $6.9 billion in jobs and trade by 2030.

The proposals under consideration are to twin the Ambassador Bridge with another span, build another bridge near Zug Island or convert a train tunnel in southwest Detroit to a twin train and truck tunnel. A site could be named by March next year and construction could begin as early as late 2005. A number of state, local and provincial approvals, including one from the president of the United States, will have to be secured first.

The largest existing crossing is the Ambassador Bridge, linking Windsor, Ont. and Detroit. The crossing is considered the busiest border gateway in the world, linking roughly 25 per cent of the total U.S.-Canadian trade. But the Canadian Press reports the owner of the Ambassador Bridge, which generates $65 million a year in tolls, could be the plan’s biggest stumbling block.

Manuel J. Moroun claims it’s the U.S. Customs Service, and its post-Sept. 11 security crackdown, that’s responsible for the delays, not the capacity of the bridge. CP reports the company has also been buying land near the sites under consideration for the project.

“He can buy all the property he wants and miss the bridge,” Jim Kirschensteiner, assistant division manager of the Michigan Division of the Federal Highway Administration, a member of the U.S.-Canada coalition, told the news group “It’s still a shot in the dark.”

Ambassador Bridge president Dan Stamper said the company is willing to build a twin bridge when needed. But he said that proponents of the new crossing are overstating the need for it.

–with files from CP