Ambassador Bridge loses appeal against demo order

The Ambassador Bridge company has lost its appeal against a major demolition order obtained by the state. Judge Cynthia Stephens presiding officer of the Michigan Court of Appeals today denied leave to appeal, and a motion to stay the demolition order, saying simply that the bridge company had "failed to persuade the Court." (see nearby)

The demolition order by Wayne County Ciruit Judge Prentice Edwards was a victory for the State Department of Transportation which had complained that the bridge company has built a new duty-free store, a toll plaza, gas/diesel station, embankments and bridge structures on land it doesn't own, without city or state permits, and in contravention of a contract signed to cooperate on Gateway Plaza - a $230m project to rebuild the border entry plazas and the complex interchange with I-75.

Michigan DOT has the Gateway Plaza project three-quarters built but work has stopped because of the conflict with the bridge company. The state has positioned large piles of dirt to block the bridge company's use of what it has built.

The contract between the bridge company and Michigan DOT on the Gateway Plaza had  a plan in which ramps were located where the company has built a new toll plaza, duty-free store and other facilities.

Judge Edwards order of February 1 called for a timetable to be submitted to him within 3 weeks by the company on demolition and removal of the illegal structures.  Presumably the 3 weeks starts running from today's dismissal of the bridge company's request.

There has been no comment yet from the bridge company.

They might appeal to the Michigan Supreme Court but the weakness of their case makes it unlikely that court will even agree to hear an appeal.

The bridge company plan is to 'twin' the existing 80 year old suspension bridge with a modern wider cable stayed span. The existing bridge would be retired and and kept in reserve for use in emergencies or when major work is needed on the new span.

The illegal construction subject to a demolition order is located to provide a straight connection to the new span.

All against the bridge company

Trouble is authorities on both sides oppose the company's new span. On the Canadian Windsor side of the river they want to route heavy truck traffic more directly between the bridge and the Highway 401 expressway a couple of miles downstream, using an independent planned bridge known as the Detroit  River International Crossing (DRIC).

DRIC has the support of governments on both sides, but it is quite unclear still how it will be financed. The state DOT has a RFP out for concepts for financing the DRIC bridge.

There has been talk of financing it by a private sector concession but there is no indication the toll revenues will be sufficient to support it, or where taxpayer subsidies would come from.

The Ambassador Bridge was built in the 1920s under a charter in perpetuity  by private interests. The company has been owned since 1979 by Manuel 'Matty' Moroun, a major Detroit area trucking and real estate businessman. It is the largest US-Canada crossing in terms of truck traffic, but traffic is way down on the peak of five years ago and showing only weak signs of possible recovery.

The bridge company has announced work will begin soon on a major rebuild of the deck of the existing suspension span.

The bridge company's website:

http://www.ambassadorbridge.com/

TOLLROADSnews 2010-03-17