31 October 2005
Short List for New Windsor-Detroit Link on Tap
A short list of contenders to build a new Detroit-Windsor crossing could be released as
early as this week, placing pressure on the U.S. billionaire who owns the Ambassador Bridge to defend his turf.
Detroit International Bridge Co., controlled by entrepreneur Manuel (Matty) Moroun, has a plan to twin its privately run Ambassador
Bridge, but that proposal is expected to face stiff competition, possibly from three challengers.
The Border Transportation Partnership, a bi-national study group formed by governments in Canada and the United States,
narrowed its short list to seven from 15 proposals last month.
Industry sources familiar with the Detroit-Windsor corridor say the list could soon be shortened to contain four
"concepts" for expanding border capacity to ease trucking congestion at North America's busiest commercial crossing.
The four front-runners are seen to be: the Ambassador Bridge's twinning plan; a proposal by Mich-Can
International Bridge Co. to construct a new bridge; the Detroit River Tunnel Partnership's plan to convert an existing train tunnel
into trucking use; and a bridge concept modelled after a Windsor-commissioned study by traffic consultant Sam Schwartz.
Evaluation of the contenders is scheduled to continue this week, and a public announcement has been tentatively set for
28 Nov 2005. However, the short list could be completed internally as early as this Friday and potentially ready for
public release within days, a government source said.
About $125-billion, or one-quarter of the $500-billion a year in merchandise trade between Canada
and the United States, flows annually across the Ambassador Bridge. The timetable calls for the study group to recommend a preferred
site across the Detroit River - either a bridge or tunnel - by the fall of 2007.
Ambassador Bridge managers didn't return calls for comment, but they have previously said that they're prepared to forge ahead with
twinning their 75-year-old suspension bridge, regardless of which concept is ultimately selected as the winner from the
short list.
There is fear in some industry and political circles that the Ambassador Bridge will maintain its stranglehold on international truck
traffic, notably moving auto parts, said Dan Friesen, a University of Windsor business professor.
Mich-Can managing director Ross Clarke said his team's plan has private-sector supporters, such as
engineering firm Fluor Corp.
"Matty Moroun controls the main artery for trade between Canada and the U.S.," Mr. Clarke said. "It's time to inject
some competition on the border."
The Detroit River Tunnel Partnership, which dubs itself the "jobs tunnel," is backed by Calgary-based Canadian
Pacific Railway Ltd. and Borealis Transportation Infrastructure Trust, which is controlled by the Ontario Municipal Employees
Retirement Board. The tunnel proponent's leader is former Windsor mayor Michael Hurst.
"We shouldn't put all our eggs in one basket, having that crossing virtually monopolized by one player - Mr. Moroun's Ambassador
Bridge," Mr. Hurst said. "A single individual ought not to have effective control of so much trade going between Canada and
the United States."
Brian Masse, the New Democratic Party MP whose Windsor West riding includes the Canadian side of the Ambassador Bridge's entrance, said
it's important for a new link to have separate ownership from Mr. Moroun's holdings.
Mr. Masse favours full government ownership of the new link, no matter which location is chosen. "Public ownership of the crossing
will be crucial for security," he said.
But Liberal Deputy Prime Minister Anne McLellan, who is also Public Safety Minister, said she's committed to letting the
bi-national group carry out its study. The group's governance statement declares that it is open to the idea of some
form of public-private partnership, "subject to appropriate public oversight in both countries."
Members of the study group include Ontario's Ministry of Transportation, Transport Canada, the U.S. Federal Highway Administration and
the Michigan Department of Transportation.
"The development of additional border capacity is a national priority in both countries," Ms. McLellan said in a letter last
week to Windsor Mayor Eddie Francis.
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