The family that owns the Ambassador Bridge, which connects Detroit and Windsor, got a boost to its plans for a new bridge that will replace the current 87-year-old one.
The Moroun family said the Canadian government has granted approval for this new cable-stayed, six-lane bridge.
Dave Battagello, a reporter with the Windsor Star, has been following the bridge developments for years. He joined Stateside today to provide some context for this recent news.
Battagello said it’s fairly well known that the Ambassador bridge would eventually need to be replaced. It’s the timing, he said, that’s surprising.
“All the focus has been on the planned Gordie Howe International Bridge,” he said. “Everybody was under the understanding that the shovel was going to get into the ground for that one first, and then at some point the Moroun family would get approvals for their new crossing. But that’s not the way things occurred.”
Listen above to hear why the relationship between the Moroun family and Windsor has “not been good at all,” and what concerns some community members have about the new bridge. You’ll also hear why this new Ambassador bridge span muddies the future of the publicly-funded Gordie Howe bridge plan.
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