Michigan study reaffirms need for new border bridge
DETROIT — Michigan lawmakers want to be sure future traffic needs will require a new crossing at the Windsor-Detroit gateway, and the state’s Transport Department’s latest study on the issue confirms there’s a definite need.
As part of the lengthy process in building a publicly controlled bridge crossing between Ontario and Michigan, the Michigan Legislature set out two requirements in Public Act 116 of 2009, one of which was an investment-grade traffic study.
Results of the study were just released by the American wing of the Detroit River International Crossing (DRIC), and the MDOT says findings from the new study reaffirms the need for an additional border crossing in the corridor despite the current economic downturn.
Average weekday traffic projections for 2035 are less than 10 percent different from the traffic projections in the December 2008 DRIC analysis.
As well, DRIC’s project does not appear to threaten the business viability of existing international crossings — that would be mainly the Ambassador Bridge — in the southeast Michigan area.
The study concludes that a new border crossing will provide "end-to-end connectivity" and redundancy for the existing crossings.
The investment-grade study was conducted by Wilbur Smith Associates with a price tag of $250,000.
"This new study strongly confirms a need for an additional crossing in the Detroit-Windsor corridor within the next five to 10 years in order to support trade between the United States and Canada," said State Transportation Director Kirk T. Steudle.
"The new study also shows that constructing the DRIC does not appear to threaten the business viability of the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel or the Ambassador Bridge,” he added.
The other requirement of Public Act 116 of 2009 was for the MDOT to solicit responses from the private sector to gauge interest in joining a public-private partnership to construct the DRIC bridge, plaza, and related infrastructure, which MDOT did on Jan. 27, with responses due to MDOT March 17. All information will be submitted to the Michigan Legislature by May 1.
The proposed project is an end-to-end solution that includes the I-75 interchange and U.S. inspection plaza in Detroit; a new bridge over the Detroit River; and the Canadian plaza in Windsor, Ont.
The Canadian access road, known as The Windsor-Essex Parkway, will extend Highway 401 in Windsor to the new bridge, and is an integral part of the proposed end-to-end solution. The Windsor-Essex Parkway is under separate procurement and will not be part of the plaza-bridge procurement.
Canada conducted their own preliminary study last year, but it has not yet been published.
More information about the Investment Grade Traffic Study is available by clicking here.
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