Canada Ambassador Bridge De-construction?

[piper1]

Seems our ole buddy Mr M went ahead and built his new Duty free plaza and fuel pumps on land that wasn't quite his.

Ambassador Bridge amenities to be destroyed - Today's Trucking, the truck news site.

Feds to ponder purchase of Ambassador Bridge
Bottom half of this story

The silliness going on regarding the current bridge owner and the proposed new bridge is to say the least entertaining and very sad.

After years of being gouged hefty tolls by the same guy that many trucking companies have to compete against (Mr M owns many trucking companies) there is a huge push on this side of the border for the new bridge down river. Many trucking companies quietly say they would pay higher tolls on the new bridge because at least that money would have no chance of subsidizing a competing carrier.

 

[layoutshooter]

Seems our ole buddy Mr M went ahead and built his new Duty free plaza and fuel pumps on land that wasn't quite his.

Ambassador Bridge amenities to be destroyed - Today's Trucking, the truck news site.

Feds to ponder purchase of Ambassador Bridge
Bottom half of this story

The silliness going on regarding the current bridge owner and the proposed new bridge is to say the least entertaining and very sad.

After years of being gouged hefty tolls by the same guy that many trucking companies have to compete against (Mr M owns many trucking companies) there is a huge push on this side of the border for the new bridge down river. Many trucking companies quietly say they would pay higher tolls on the new bridge because at least that money would have no chance of subsidizing a competing carrier.

Only problem with that downriver bridge is that no one of the communities down there WANT IT!! Every place that has been proposed to date to run that new bridge are long standing residential communities. I know the town I was raised in is and will fight it tooth and nail. The approach roads will displace thousands of homes and destroy that side of town.

Maybe it would work if you bring in just down from that old bridge, around the mills. They are talking about bringing it across Bob Lo, Grosse Isle and into Riverview. Both those islands are heavily residential and so is Riveriew. The approach road was proposed to come right up Pennsylvania Road. Going to be tough on the U.S. side. The lawyers are all lined up in those places.

 

[piper1]

The new bridge will be north of Zug Island going into the Delray neighborhood (or whatever is left of it ). This is the area behind the Detroit Produce Terminal. The number of houses that are actually inhabited in there is very low and there is a lot of abandoned land. The biggest thing in use is the old YRC terminal that Central Transport (Mr M) just bought and moved into.

http://www.partnershipborderstudy.com/pdf/EA_Parkway_RecommendedPlan_I36-E2E.pdf

What the new bridge will do is take all the truck traffic off city streets and go directly from I-75 to the 401 via a new freeway in Windsor.

 

[Toronto40]

The new bridge will be north of Zug Island going into the Delray neighborhood (or whatever is left of it ). This is the area behind the Detroit Produce Terminal. The number of houses that are actually inhabited in there is very low and there is a lot of abandoned land. The biggest thing in use is the old YRC terminal that Central Transport (Mr M) just bought and moved into.

http://www.partnershipborderstudy.com/pdf/EA_Parkway_RecommendedPlan_I36-E2E.pdf

What the new bridge will do is take all the truck traffic off city streets and go directly from I-75 to the 401 via a new freeway in Windsor.

Nice anything to make life easier.

 

[greg334]

Increase the customs officers and streamline the system to move the trucks through, that will solve all the problems.

 

[piper1]

It doesn't solve the fact that the current bridge has a deck that is falling apart and needs to be rebuilt, there is no reasonable alternative available for commercial traffic if half the bridge was shut down for such an event. It also does not solve the stupidity on the Windsor side that is city streets for 8 miles and 15 stoplights before you hit the highway.

Also, lately, the backup at the bridge has not been with US customs, they always seem to have enough lanes open, the problem is that it all needs to funnel into 2 or 3 open toll lanes (out 9 available) after the customs booths. That problem is the bridge managements fault.

 

[layoutshooter]

Zug would be a great area!! I love Zug Island. It is a GREAT vacation spot!! I used to run "hot bottles" large train cars loading with moltin iron to the BOPs, basic oxygen plants, where they made the steel at Great Lakes. I was a switchman there.

 

[OntarioVanMan]

Just the fact Mr. M's trucks can cross with Hazmat loads and all others have to go to Port Huron...

 

[layoutshooter]

It is his toy. The U.S nor Canada ever built a bridge. Neither did Ontario or Michigan. His football, he makes the rules. If he messes up he loses. That is business. He did take the risk and expense to build it. As he mis-runs it more he will lose.

 

[OntarioVanMan]

It is his toy. The U.S nor Canada ever built a bridge. Neither did Ontario or Michigan. His football, he makes the rules. If he messes up he loses. That is business. He did take the risk and expense to build it. As he mis-runs it more he will lose.

I don't think he could really lose...he owns all the land that Customs on both side of the border occupy..it worth a fortune...even if he sold he'd still have his toy trucks..

 

[layoutshooter]

Sounds like he won then. Is that not the idea?

 

[piper1]

As he mis-runs it more he will lose.

He doesn't lose....what competition does he have? A tunnel you cant drive trucks through, a ferry that doesn't run year round and another bridge a hundred miles away. Sounds a lot like a monopoly.

As for him "winning", yes he has lots of money, talk to anyone who has worked for him or look into some of his trucking operations and you will find that he "wins" by methods that are at best morally corrupt and often....just look at how the dozen or so trucking companies he owns operate.

I'm all for private enterprise, when it has competition. Instead he can use the very tolls we all pay to undercut us on runs, and he has certainly spent his fair share of toll money suing the state of Michigan when he doesn't get his way (glad my tax dollars at least don't fund that). He continues to "fund" Detroit area politicians who let him do what he wants while the blight in the area around the current bridge spreads as he buys up land and then just lets the buildings rot.

I wish it wasn't the government building the new bridge, but if I have a choice of no new bridge or the government...

As for the US or Canada never building a bridge, the previous owners of the bridge were never a problem..so nobody cared to build another bridge. Mr M has only had the bridge since 1980.

 

[layoutshooter]

Oh, I am not saying that I agree with him and everything he does. I do agree that competition is always better. I doubt that either your or our government is going to do it any cheaper or better. All you have to do is look at our interstates and toll roads.

As to his corruption, he just fits in to the times. It does really not say much for things, does it?

 

[piper1]

As to his corruption, he just fits in to the times. It does really not say much for things, does it?

Sadly Joe...you hit the nail on the head 100%!

 

[layoutshooter]

Sure wish I could have been wrong on that one.

 

[Scottrucks]

Just heard the Canadian Gov't is willing to "LEND" the state of Mich. $550 million to fund their part of a NEW bridge over the Detroit river...Here's hoping they accept the deal...

Hi btw, I've been lurking/reading around here for a little while,
just a "CDN NEWBIE" thinking about this as a possible
career path

 

[OntarioVanMan]

Just heard the Canadian Gov't is willing to "LEND" the state of Mich. $550 million to fund their part of a NEW bridge over the Detroit river...Here's hoping they accept the deal...

Hi btw, I've been lurking/reading around here for a little while,
just a "CDN NEWBIE" thinking about this as a possible
career path

The US needs all the help it can get...they've run this country into the ground...Obamas printing machine must be broke down...

I just thought of something funny...

Obama and his buy American slogan....
countries actually are buying America....

 

[layoutshooter]

The US needs all the help it can get...they've run this country into the ground...Obamas printing machine must be broke down...

I just thought of something funny...

Obama and his buy American slogan....
countries actually are buying America....

Gee, no one likes the family that built the bridge. They did with their OWN money, not government money. How bad. Private ownership.

 

[OntarioVanMan]

Gee, no one likes the family that built the bridge. They did with their OWN money, not government money. How bad. Private ownership.

In Canada they are called "Crown Corporations" Every one of them does not make a dime....they are a toilet of taxpayer money..

Seems the way of the US for now...

 

[OntarioVanMan]

BTW...Welcome Scott....I am a Canuck turned to the darkside