New Republican Rick Snyder is continuing the previous governors support, and trying to make the pot sweeter for the ideologically opposed Republican legislatures. If they give up all of the aid we're being offered by Canada for use as match money for our road system, they are fools. This needs to be done, and
now. The Ambassador Bridge owner just started running televised interference against the project he's managed to keep at bay for years, now. Tim to put the troll back under his bridge.
Quote:
Showdown looms over proposed public bridge to Canada
BY JOHN GALLAGHER
DETROIT FREE PRESS BUSINESS WRITER
March 15, 2011
The forces are gathering for a final showdown on whether to build a new publicly owned bridge between Detroit and Canada.
On one side, Gov. Rick Snyder's staffers are helping to craft legislation to be introduced later this month to authorize creation of public authorities to build the bridge, now known as the New International Trade Crossing project. Separate Michigan and Ontario authorities would hire a private contractor to build and operate the bridge.
And the governor's team is upping the ante to win over reluctant legislators.
The governor's office already announced in January that the federal government would count Canada's $550-million advance payment to pay to connect the bridge to expressways on the Detroit side of the border as a local match for federal highway funding for Michigan.
Now Lt. Gov. Brian Calley says that the feds confirmed last week that they will count Michigan's $475 million of the bridge construction costs as a further match.
Since the federal government normally provides 80% of local highway funding, the combined $1.025 billion could translate into billions of dollars in new federal highway aid for a state that has been unable to pay for all the road upkeep it needs.
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But Ambassador Bridge owner Manuel (Matty) Moroun is lining up his big guns to stop a publicly owned bridge that will compete with his privately owned span.
Moroun has hired Fox News conservative commentator Dick Morris as a spokesman for the project, and he has launched a series of ads claiming that the publicly owned bridge would cost Michigan taxpayers $100 million a year to cover shortfalls in operating costs.
Snyder's team disputes Moroun's claim. Officials say there is no way that the public authorities would be able to tap the state's treasury.
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