DETROIT — The Michigan Department of Transportation moved a step closer to naming the location where a new bridge across the Detroit River into Windsor, Ont. is to be built.

According to the Detroit Free Press, the MDOT — which is part of the binational Detroit River International Crossing Study charged with securing the final site for the new bridge — has narrowed its search to sites near Zug Island and Fort Wayne. It is currently studying those areas and conducting drilling experiments to confirm the foundation is solid bedrock.

US officials are getting closer to picking a new
bridge site, but construction is still a long way off

MDOT project manager Mohammed Alghurabi told Detroit City Council the DRIC hopes to complete a draft impact study by next January that would detail the pros and cons of each site.

State officials are also in the process of surveying business people in the Delray neighborhood about their building sizes, employees, and possible relocation timeframes.

While the MDOT continues work on approving a new crossing, the owner of the private Ambassador Bridge has applied to the state for approval of $1 billion in tax-exempt bonds, which would finance a second, six-lane span along side the current bridge.

Matty Moroun recently received approval from the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality to build the twin spin, although there are several other environmental hurdles from other agencies to clear. The bridge company must also get the green light from the Canadian government, which is not keen on a second Ambassador span, but would rather partner with a third party in building the separate bridge the DRIC is planning downriver.

According to the Free Press, the company would issue the bonds and be responsible for repaying them. The state, however, needs to approve them because they are tax-exempt.

— with files from the Detroit Free Press