With
monumental assistance from allies in Michigan’s legislature, Grosse Pointe
billionaire Manuel Moroun continues his fight to maintain his private bridge
monopoly on truck traffic and truck toll revenue between Windsor and Detroit.
Wednesday, June 13, the Michigan House Appropriations Committee approved a bill
to prohibit Governor Rick Snyder from using money from Michigan’s Strategy Fund
to pay for any part of construction of a competing freeway to freeway bridge
project two miles downstream from Moroun’s Ambassador Bridge. The Ambassador
Bridge is the only existing highway bridge crossing the Detroit River between
Detroit and Windsor, and Moroun collects all those truck and auto tolls.
In
the last two legislative sessions, bills passed which prohibit Michigan’s
Department of Transportation from spending any money on new Detroit River
bridge construction, but Moroun wanted to make sure the Strategy Fund’s
economic development money was also cut off as a source of funding for any
competing bridge. He is also circulating petitions to put a state constitutional
amendment on the ballot requiring a public vote before any competing bridge
could be built. Over the last few years, the Moroun family has also donated about
half a million dollars in campaign funds to federal candidates who have
consistently opposed federal funding of new Detroit River bridge construction.
Despite
this unprecedented example of self-interested lobbying, Governor Snyder will
announce today a proposal, backed by Canada’s government and U.S. officials, for
construction of the downriver New International Trade Crossing which would
sidestep Michigan’s legislative funding restrictions Moroun has lobbied so
diligently for. The proposed new $1 billion bridge and $2 billion attached
bridge end customs plazas, would be paid for by privately collected toll
revenues from bridge traffic, and by Canadian and U.S. federal contributions to
customs facility construction. No funds would come from Michigan’s state
coffers, Snyder promises.
Snyder
is already authorized under Michigan’s Urban Cooperation Act to participate
with Canada and the U.S. federal government in an international bridge
authority which could fund the bridge, contract for its construction and
operation, and arrange a private contract for toll collection. Canada has
offered to advance Michigan’s $550 million share of construction costs against
Michigan’s portion of toll revenue from truck and auto traffic over the new bridge.
Besides the construction jobs and permanent operating jobs created by the new
span, Michigan’s gross domestic product should increase by $2.2 billion
annually from traffic across the new bridge, with new state and local tax
revenues rising by $400 million each year, and Michigan personal incomes going
up by $4 billion.
Given
these prodigious improvements in Michigan’s economic quality of life from
construction of the proposed new span, it becomes clear that Moroun’s political
campaign fund donations are the only real reason for state and federal elected
officials’ opposition to the project.
