WINDSOR, Ont. — The nation’s busiest border town is sending Canada and U.S. decision makers a message about what kind of road it wants leading to a new international bridge.

According to the Windsor Star, city council unanimously endorsed a plan that would tunnel the traffic corridor en route to the new border crossing currently being studied by the binational Detroit River International Crossing (DRIC) committee for completion in southwest Windsor.

Council’s resolution advises the DRIC team “they must have a tunneled solution,” reports the Star.

The DRIC, which in November 2005 decided a new commercial crossing should be built 3 km downriver from the current Ambassador Bridge, is also slated to rule whether a new six-kilometre stretch of Huron Church Road and Talbot Road, will be at-grade, below-grade or tunneled — the latter being the preferred option to residents because of environmental and health concerns.

In the past, the DRIC has hinted that the $4 billion bill to tunnel the section may be too pricey. The province too appears to favor a cheaper road solution.

The plan somewhat resembles a truck “bypass” route once floated by Sam Schwartz, the New York-based traffic and gridlock expert hired by the City of Windsor to come up with solutions to its border woes.

Schwartz proposed a “context sensitive designed” corridor, which would lead trucks off the 401 to Talbot Rd. where it would then bypass or “horseshoe” around Huron Church along a depressed and tunneled four-lane highway.

— with files from the Windsor Star