detroit river

DRICkery, trickery! Legislators in Michigan have unearthed emails and documents suggesting that Michigan state officials have engaged in trickery in their attempts to advance the controversial DRIC (Detroit River International Crossing) a proposed third truck-route crossing between western Ontario and eastern Michigan.

Michigan's state senate majority leader Mike Bishop (Republican) says that without revenue forecasts the upper house of the legislature will not vote on authorizing legislation for a new Detroit River International Crossing (DRIC). Michigan DOT which supports the new bridge has released a traffic-only study by Wilbur Smith Associates, but no revenue estimates.

Wilbur Smith & Associates (WSA) have come back at Halcrow, the British consultants over their somber forecasts for traffic at the Detroit River, compiled at the request of the Ambassador Bridge company. WSA, working for Michigan DOT have forecast a strong rise in truck traffic, such as to apparently justify the new Detroit River International Crossing (DRIC) bridge by 2030.

The Ambassador Bridge company said today it is preparing to file a claim against Canada under the North American Free Trade Agreement following the Candadian Government offer yesterday to lend up to $550m to Michigan to cover its costs in developing the rival DRIC toll bridge.

Michigan DOT say they expect to have a law in place for a P3 concession to build a new international toll bridge over the Detroit River before the end of the year. HB4961 is the bill. The Canadians already have the legal framework for a toll concession.

Michigan DOT envisage a "partnership" with Transport Canada, the national DOT with defined roles for other stakeholders such as FHWA, Ministry Transportation Ontario and border services agencies.

Michigan legislators have passed language in their budget for next fiscal year to prepare the way for concessioning a third toll crossing to Canada from Detroit. The budget contains $2.5m for the Michigan DOT to continue to advance preliminary legal, financial, engineering and environmental permitting to prepare for seeking a private sector toll concessionaire to finance, build, and operate the bridge.

The Government of Canada today announced it had bought 38 hectares (94 acres) of land needed for the new toll bridge on the Detroit River that is to be built under a toll concession administered by the governments of the US, Canada, Michigan and Ontario. The bridge so far known by the bland name Detroit River International Crossing (DRIC) has obtained most of the needed environmental clearances and should go out to concession in 2010 for completion 2014.