Legislation to create an authority to build a new international bridge in Detroit has been introduced in the state Senate.
Governor Rick Snyder is using a conference on Mackinac Island to sell the idea to lawmakers and business people.
He still has to win over skeptical Republicans in the Legislature who are not convinced there is no risk to taxpayers in the deal.
The bridge fight could pose his biggest intra-party squabble yet. It's a debate that’s expected to last through much if June.
The governor says the bridge is necessary to support Michigan’s growing export trade, saying the entire state benefits from the growth in exports:
"We had a big bounce back from 2009," Snyder said. "The jump this year has been very large and Canada is our biggest trading partner. We did over $44 billion in exports last year…and 49% of that was with Canada."
The governor says that includes agriculture products and manufactured goods from every corner of Michigan. Supporters of the bridge say there will be even more benefits if Canada and Mexico approve a free trade deal.
The owners of the Ambassador Bridge in Detroit are putting up a fierce fight including a statewide ad campaign to stop the bridge project.
They say there won’t be enough traffic to justify a second bridge.
The governor calls those claims "false."
