TORONTO — Although he’s extremely disappointed the Michigan Senate cancelled a much-anticipated vote to build a new bridge at the Windsor-Detroit trade gateway, Ontario Trucking Association President David Bradley is still optimistic that the fight to keep the project alive is far from over.

"While it’s extremely disappointing that Senate Republican Leader Mike Bishop has reneged on his commitment to hold a vote on the DRIC legislation this year, there are already signs that the incoming administration is willing to consider moving forward with DRIC either now or during the next legislative session," Bradley stated in a press release.

"Bishop’s about face doesn’t kill DRIC, at worst it simply delays it."

Bradley notes that newly elected Republican governor Rick Snyder has indicated that he has an open mind on the issue of the DRIC crossing.

"…we remain confident that once he is fully apprised of the facts he will agree with us that the DRIC crossing is crucial to improving the flow of trade between Michigan and Ontario and it is therefore an essential part of revitalizing the Michigan and Ontario economies," said Bradley.

"The situation in Lansing is still very fluid and we remain confident that the second crossing as proposed by the Detroit River International Crossing (DRIC) bi-national process will be built."

While it’s likely a new bill to greenlight DRIC will be tabled in the new year, some observers predict that getting it passed the opposition in the Republican-controlled Senate will be even more difficult since Republicans captured more seats in the state elections last week.