After going as far as trying to pay for the entire bridge themselves (in exchange for collecting all the tolls until the "loan" is paid off) and still being thwarted, we now come to this:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/...it-bridge/article2270334/

In Canada the government really does have that kind of power when it comes to infrastructure projects...

Heh, well it is kindof silly that the current bridge's owners are trying to stall the project, when like *everybody else* is for a new bridge...

The ambassador company wants to build a new bridge right next to their existing one. That's the fight.

It's not whether there will be a new bridge, it's just whether or not they'll own it.

-Fooglmog
Guy with no clue.

I thought the ambassador guys specifically said there wasn't enough traffic to support the new bridge....

they say they do, but really they have no definate plans.
In the mean time the province of ontario has built an entire highway/freeway extension to support the new bridge.

You don't think they mean to Martian? They've built the ramp lead ups on both the US and Canadian side for the new bridge, and (at least in windsor) bought and boarded up the neighbouring block of houses to make way for it.

That's a pretty big investment if they don't mean to go through with it.

-Fooglmog
Guy with no clue.

Never heard of a privately owned bridge before. I assume the reason the owners care about the new bridge is because they are collecting tolls on the old one?

This sounds like all the internet companies in Chattanooga trying to stop EPB (the Electric Power Board) from offering internet on their fiberoptic network. The Ambassador bridge owners will only delay the inevitable if everything said above is accurate.

The Detroit-Windsor crossing is the busiest border crossing in the world in terms of trade volume (more than 25% of all merchandise trade between the United States and Canada crosses the bridge).

They collect a $4.50 toll for one crossing. It is ridiculously clogged at rush hour due to the vast amount of trucks going in both directions. There is already a tunnel that goes both ways (I do not know who has the ownership rights), this is also clogged. A second bridge would ease the mountain of congestion in the area, but Ambassador would lose a ton of revenue. I can't fathom how much they are making every year right now. It would be cut significantly.

greedy bastards only thinking of themselves.

Since the second bridge will be connected to a new road system separate from all the others, lives will be saved.

The roads that are connected to the current bridge are congested with traffic from all the trucks. Its a nightmare trying to cross these streets. Too many people have died by getting hit by trucks :(