Study calls for new border crossing (November 06, 2003)

Assembly plants could be shut down and business jeopardized if a new border crossing between Detroit and Windsor is not built before 2010, according to a study conducted on behalf of the Detroit River Tunnel Partnership (DRTP). Over 10,000 trucks cross over the Ambassador Bridge daily, and border delays of transport trucks has worsened since 9/11. The study estimates that without a new crossing these delays could add up to US$200 to the cost of a vehicle.
The DRTP has recommended building a dedicated truck crossing under the Detroit River. The DRTP is a consortium of Canadian Pacific Railway Co. and Borealis Transportation Infrastructure Trust, a subsidiary of the Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement Board pension fund. The consortium envisions converting an existing twin-tube rail tunnel into a dedicated truck route linking Highway 401 with Interstate 75 in Michigan. Officials with the company that owns the Ambassador Bridge have cited a 1998 Ontario government study which found that the Ambassador Bridge had enough capacity to handle truck traffic until the 2012-2015 time frame. They claim delays are caused by multiple stop lights on Huron Church Road in Windsor and lack of dedicated lanes on the Canadian side to fast-track trucks which have precleared.