Private bridge can’t keep safety report quiet: Judge
DETROIT — After winning a restraining order last week to keep Ambassador Bridge repair records away from the public, a U.S. District Judge has denied a request by owner Matty Moroun to continue keeping the report a secret.
According to Detroit media, the judge ruled that Moroun’s Detroit International Bridge Co. had not made a convincing case why it would be irreparably harmed by the release of the report.
U.S. Rep. John Dingell, (D-Mich) has obtained the report and threatened to release it.
The bridge company was suing to prevent Rep. John Dingell from releasing the report, which was conducted in 2007.
The inspection was ordered at the time by the U.S. Federal Highway Administration before it would approve construction of the $230-million Gateway project in Detroit.
Dingell obtained the report and has threatened to release it. He argues that the thousands of drivers and truckers that use the Ambassador should know what condition it’s in.
A spokesman for Dingell told the Detroit Free Press that the report would not be released until aides have spoken with the congressman.
Meanwhile, Transport Canada, which monitors the safety inspections of the private bridge, says it has no concerns over its condition.
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