They’ve been talking about this for some time. It’s been sheer lunacy, as proponents of the bridge have assured us that its construction will bring millions of new jobs, zillions in revenue, cure cancer, and fulfill the prophesies.
In reality, their main goal seems to be bankrupting the current bridge’s owner, Matty Maroun (who is, uncontestedly, a real dick). The Detroit/Windsor span is the only privately held bridge in the US; a fact that infuriates liberal Democrats to no end. Thus, they MUST construct a second bridge downriver, with the purpose of sending Maroun into bankruptcy.
I’m skeptical the bridge brings much added good at all, short of alleviating some traffic congestation. If fixing economies was as simple as building bridges, we could just spend the next thousand years backfilling Lake St. Clair. However, the real selling point of this bridge was that Canada was willing to pay for Michigan’s half of its construction, while still giving Michigan an equal say in construction and a half share of all toll revenue.
Um, okay…?
Leaders from both sides of the U.S.-Canada border today announced “a visionary project” to build a second bridge between Detroit and Windsor.
“This is quite a large project, even for countries as big as the United States and Canada,” said Canadian prime minister Stephen Harper in Windsor in the first of two appearances today to announce the deal. “It’s an investment in the future … of the North American economy,” and “a celebration of the deep friendship that exists between Canada and the United States.”
“This is a glorious day. It’s a magnificent day.”
U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood called the project “a particularly big deal for people who want to go to work…for people who need a job.”
Gov. Rick Snyder thanked the Canadians for fronting Michigan its $550 million share of the project costs.
“This is more than a traditional partnership,” said Snyder.
Read more here.
If you enjoy the content at iBankCoin, please follow us on Twitter
Gov. Rick Snyder thanked the Canadians for fronting Michigan its $550 million share of the project costs.
I’m assuming the costs are to be split 50/50 thus making this a $1.1 bln bridge? Can I also assume the support piers will be gold-plated?
Probably. WIth spinner rims.
I think a lot of the cost is that they don’t have the land to even tie the project together yet, plus they’ll need to clear legal hurdles and then connect the highways.
I don’t know, I can understand the traffic problems and that they might want to adjust things to flow better.
But the next cocksucker who tries telling me building a bridge is going to somehow create tens of billions in profits for the State is, to borrow a phrase, in store for immediate mustache removal.
I know how this works. This fucking thing will never turn a profit.
And I can assume the quickest way to bankrupt your competitor is to significantly undercut them, running the bridge at a loss and having the tax payer foot the bill, rather than just the users of said bridge…
I’ve been through there on a number of occasions. Never had as much traffic problems as one might think. But maybe I just got lucky.
Oh believe me, I know. I guarantee we’ll need to bail this fucking thing out in 30 years. And everyone will be luck, “oh, but all the bridge revenue.”
What fucking revenue!? You ran it at a God-damned loss.
But, I mean, if Canada’s footing the whole bill, it doesn’t make much sense to say no here.
I agree 100% on the revenue generating capability an think it is over stated by several orders of magnitude. The simple fact of the matter though is that Windsor does not want the Moron’s (sic) bridge dumping into a residential neighborhood. They vested interest is getting the traffic level down to tolerable levels for their citizens and moving the commercial type bridge traffic away from the middle of town.