AMBASSADOR BRIDGE

DRIC PROJECT
ENHANCEMENT PROJECT
ADDING A LANE FOR SMOOTHER
Purpose of Bridge CAPACITY
TRAFFIC FLOW

2011-2015, 2013, 2013-2017, 2015, 2015-2030,

2021-2025, 2033, 2035-2040 “THE NEED COULD
BEGIN AS EARLY AS 2025, OR COULD BE AS
When is the bridge needed NOW
LATE AS, I BELIEVE ITS 2015 ALL THE WAY TO
2035 THAT THE NEED WILL BE” (MDOT’S
ALGURABI)

"7 YEARS: FOUR AND A HALF TO FIVE YEARS

Length of time needed to complete project
FOR CONSTRUCTION OF THE BRIDGE,
CUSTOMS PLAZAS, ACCESS ROADS AND
OTHER DETAILS, AND A COUPLE OF YEARS
30 MONTHS
OR MORE TO ARRANGE THE FINANCING AND
SELECT A “CONCESSIONAIRE” (TRANSPORT
CANADA'S MARK BUTLER) PLUS LAWSUIT
TIME"

Boon or Boon-doggle BOON BOON-DOGGLE

Involved in a "partnership" with Governments for

YES NO
about 80 years on border crossing

Conflict of interest: Governments own facility yet

also determine whether competing project can YES NO
move forward

Government actions to block construction

YES NOT APPLICABLE
causing harm to the economy
 NO ONE KNOWS YET WHO WILL BEAR THE
All financial risks borne by private owner YES
RISKS AND FOR HOW MUCH

Requires P3 legislation NO YES

YES BUT NO TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Requires $550M Canadian loan NO PROVIDED YET SO RISKS TO MICHIGAN
TAXPAYERS NOT KNOWN

Could this loan damage Michigan's financial

NOT APPLICABLE ASK THE RATINGS AGENCIES
position

Requires P3 money to move forward NO YES

NO---NO T&Cs PROVIDED YET BUT WILL

PROBABLY ONLY GET BUILT IF
GOVERNMENT BACKED "AVAILABILITY
Riskless to Michigan taxpayers YES
PAYMENTS" ARE PROVIDED AS WELL AS
GOVERNMENT REVENUE BONDS FOR
INITIAL FINANCING

Requires teams of expensive lawyers and

consultants to develop a contract to foresee
every eventuality for the full length of the NO YES
agreement ie 50 or more years at a cost of millions
of taxpayer dollars

If a contractual mistake is made in the P3

Agreement, taxpayers and users can suffer as NO YES
with Highway 407 in Toronto

Uses only private money YES NO

Requires relocation of 100's of families and
NO YES
businesses in Michigan

Requires 100's of acres of land which destroys

NO YES
Delray

Requires a new US plaza NO YES

Requires a new Canadian plaza NO YES

Makes use of $250M Ambassador Gateway Project YES NO

Ambassador Gateway Project designed to

YES NO
accommodate this bridge

Costs billions of dollars NO YES

Requires a Presidential Permit NO YES

Requires traffic from other regional border

NO YES
crossings to pay for costs

Jeopardizes other crossings' finances NO YES

Requires huge traffic increases to be successful NO YES

Povides security and redundancy YES YES

DRIC Road can be built to it YES YES

POSSIBLY BUT MINISTER BAIRD ONLY

Will create jobs in Michigan YES TALKED ABOUT CANADIAN WORKERS IN HIS
PRESS CONFERENCE

Will create jobs in Ontario YES YES

Over-estimated number of jobs to be created NO YES

Will help the economies of Canada and the US

YES YES
grow

Experienced border operator who has made its

YES NO
crossing #1 between Canada & the US

Total number of truck lanes available in the

Buffalo area compared with the Ambassador 31 18 in Buffalo
Bridge

TO LIVE IS NOT MERELY TO BREATHE;

Advice to the breathless Michigan Governor SAVE YOUR BREATH
IT IS TO ACT---Jean-Jacques Rousseau