Bridge Company Moving Forward, Faster

Here's what the local media in Windsor and Detroit said about the Bridge Co.'s latest announcement.

• "Bridge ups ante for crossing"



• "Trading of punches to build Windsor's next border crossing escalated Tuesday when the Ambassador Bridge announced it has completed its environmental impact statement"


• "Officials from the Detroit International Bridge Co. are surging ahead with plans to build a replacement for the 78-year-old Ambassador Bridge"


• "Officials from the privately owned Ambassador Bridge filed a study with the Canadian government today that concluded a replacement bridge would have no "significant adverse environmental impact."

What is humourous is that the sports analogy of the race between the Bridge Co. and the Governments has changed to a boxing match in the Star or a poker game while CBC and the Free Press keep it as a race.

What was supposed to take a couple of years according to Transport Canada, took the Bridge Company three to four months. According to Susan Pedler of CBC News in her news broadcast last night, the Bridge Company seems to be in the lead in the race to build the new crossing ie "one step closer to winning the race."

I attended their press conference yesterday just to get a feeling for how the media would cover the story. There were more media reps there than I expected including Susan Pedler of CBC. Does she now leave the studio to do reporting or more on the scene interviewing? What was interesting watching the CBC News later was that she did an interview of Dan Stamper for the News right at the meeting room rather than in the studio as most hosts do.

There were lots of questions, none of them hostile but more along the lines of gaining insight and information. Why should the reporters be hostile... it is the BRIDGE COMPANY after all and aren't they supposed to be the "enemy" of Windsor? If you listen to the Mayor, they are. But then again it seems that fewer people are listening, including three or four City Councillors that I can think of.

While the tone was professional, it seemed also to be friendly as well given that the Bridge Company had made the effort to meet with reporters a number of times over the past year. That certainly was a big change in the relationship between the Bridge Company and the press, a failing of theirs that they have acknowledged and tried to rectify.

I was shocked to see a senior representative from the Mayor's Office there. Now I haven't attended every one of their press conferences but that is the first time that I recall seeing this person at one of the Bridge Company's press sessions. I may well have missed her appearance before but I was surprised. I did see David Estrin previously at an Open House though.

It made me a bit sad I must admit since I believe that at least one of the Councillors said that she got all of her border information from the BLOGs in town. Perhaps the Mayor actually wants to learn something now.

The biggest revelation as far as I was concerned was Dan Stamper's expectation that the bridge construction would start towards the end of 2008 after getting the required permits in both Canada and the United States within a few months. It would then take about two years to build a new bridge.

Stamper was asked about the relationship between the City and his company and if he was concerned that the City would try and stop him. His response was interesting saying that his Company had complied with the processes required. He almost dared Eddie to try and stop him if he got his approvals from the Senior Levels without actually saying it.

Mark Butler of Transport Canada was also there and he was tackled by a number of the reporters after the meeting was over. In the scrum, they tried to get him to say whether the Bridge Company's timeline was reasonable or not. Being the good spokesperson that he is, he gave an answer that everyone would feel comfortable with IE they would examine what was presented to them thoroughly but, of course, since he had not seen anything yet, he could not be precise. My guess is that the examination time frame cannot be much longer than the time it took for the Bridge Company to prepare their materials in the first place.

However the more interesting answer that he gave was that the Bridge Company would have to comply with both the EA and the Legislation under a Bill C-3. It is unlikely that Transport Canada could stall off the Bridge Company under the EA process for a long time as I said above but could certainly do it, or at least try, under the legislation since the Regulations have not been drafted yet. I assume that this is the last clear action that the Federal Government could try to take to slow down the Bridge Co.'s steady path to the construction of the Enhancement Project to keep DRIC in the game. That should keep some lawyers employed for a while too if true.

As an aside, did Eddie get an early Christmas present: a subscription to Readers' Digest? Their Word Power word of the month must have been "dismiss" recently. If Eddie does not like something, he merely "dismisses" it arrogantly. Reasons are not required since the subject is unworthy of discussion by him.

• The speech of Dennis DesRosiers was dismissed as "the analyst’s annual attack on the city"


• The "2007 Local Government Performance Index (LGPI) of the Frontier Centre for Public Policy in Winnipeg was dismissed and written off.


• Now Eddie "dismissed the bridge's announcement as lobbying in the battle to build the next crossing."

I'll let you read the Bridge Co. notes for yourself.

• FOR RELEASE DEC. 4, 2007
  
  AMBASSADOR BRIDGE FILES ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT FOR REPLACEMENT SPAN PROJECT WITH TRANSPORT CANADA
  
  WINDSOR, ONT. December 4, 2007 — The Ambassador Bridge today formally submitted to Transport Canada its Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), prepared as part of the federal environmental assessment for the proposed replacement span.
  
  The filing is the latest step in the formal approval process for a new six-lane, cable-stayed replacement bridge that would connect Windsor and Detroit just west of the existing Ambassador Bridge. The U.S. Coast Guard is presently conducting a similar environmental assessment. The project already has received approval from the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality. Construction of the replacement span is scheduled to begin in the fall of 2008.
  
  “The document that we filed today represents a very detailed study into the environmental impact of Building a Better Bridge,” said Dan Stamper, President of the Ambassador Bridge. “The EIS found no significant adverse environmental effects from construction of the replacement span. This is consistent with information we have already presented to the public, and our report reflects feedback we received during our public forums.”
  
  Although not specifically required under the environmental assessment process, the Ambassador Bridge held three sets of public hearings in Windsor and Detroit, met with numerous groups and organizations and met with municipalities and officials of the City of Windsor and Detroit to invite questions or answer concerns. “We understand how important this project will be to area residents, and we want to continue to invite their participation,” Stamper said.
  
  The EIS follows guidelines established for the environmental assessment process by the Canadian government earlier this year. The Ambassador Bridge hired leading experts in the fields of air and water quality, noise, archaeology, habitat and other quality of life issues to determine the potential effects of the project, and to recommend mitigation where warranted.
  
  The Environmental Impact Statement indicates the proposed replacement span would have an overall positive effect on air quality and would reduce existing noise and vibration levels. Also, the proposed replacement span would not result in any harmful effects on local plants or animals, local aquifers, the Detroit River water resource or historic sites or buildings.
  
  One key quality of life improvement planned as part of the replacement span project is the Green Corridor that would be constructed along Indian Street to the west of the bridge plaza. This would provide natural vegetation to complement the adjoining neighborhood and serve as a buffer.
  
  The Ambassador Bridge replacement span would modify the existing crossing by shifting traffic that currently crosses the Ambassador Bridge approximately 100 feet to the west. The new 1,890-meter (6,200-foot) long bridge with a 670-metre (2,200-foot) span over the Detroit River would replace the existing Ambassador Bridge and link directly into the existing plazas in Windsor and Detroit.
  
  The new span would have the same vertical clearance above the Detroit River as the current bridge, 46 metres (152 feet). Structural supports would be located on land, thus avoiding any impediments to navigation. The existing historic suspension bridge would be retained for emergency and approved public events.
  
  Cost of the new bridge is estimated at $500 million, in addition to approximately $500 million already spent by the Ambassador Bridge for land acquisition, surveys and site preparation. The entire project, which would immediately create 3,700 new jobs, is privately funded.
  
  The Michigan Department of Transportation is currently reconstructing the Ambassador Bridge interchange with I-75 to improve bridge access. This more than $220 million Gateway Project is expected to be opened to traffic in December 2009, according to the MDOT web site.
  
  Highlights of the Ambassador Bridge Environmental Impact Statement include:
  
  Air Quality
  The study area of the current Bridge, the area of the replacement span, Huron Church Road / Talbot Road, and arterial roads, including sensitive receptors, was used to determine air quality and results were modeled using state-of-science software developed by both Environment Canada and the United States Environmental Protection Agency. There are no significant environmental effects on air quality from the construction of the replacement span.
  
  Noise
  Using the Ontario Ministries of the Environment and Transportation guidelines, existing sound levels were measured at noise sensitive sites, which include heritage structures, and future sound levels were modeled. The current background sound levels are 64 decibels and were predicted to be 65 decibels in 2025 with the proposed replacement span. The predicted average sound level without the Enhancement Project would be 66 decibels in 2021. Sound impacts would be further mitigated with the use of noise barriers along the west side of the Ambassador Bridge replacement span.
  
  Vibration
  The ground-bourne vibration study revealed current vibration levels can be perceived by people standing on the ground but are below the range at which any cosmetic or structural damage to buildings occur. Ground-bourne vibration would be further reduced by constructing new bridge piers on piles driven to bedrock using state of the art 21st century construction methods.
  
  Archaeology
  In accordance with provincial regulations, the replacement span has addressed archaeological issues by having the London Museum of Archaeology undertake Stage 1 (background study) and Stage 2 (archaeological field assessment) studies of the project corridor. Stage 3 (expanded field assessment) is underway. A licensed archaeologist will be on site during all stages of the construction of the replacement span.
  
  Vegetation
  An inventory of vegetation species by a licensed biologist concluded that vegetation consists of manicured grass, mature trees, shrubs and river bank vegetation. No rare or endangered species were identified in the construction area. Measures will be taken to ensure minimum loss of mature trees in proximity to the Study Area.
  
  Wildlife
  The replacement span is situated within an urbanized area and does not provide suitable habitat for either threatened or endangered species. There is no degradation of habitat quality as a result of the replacement span that would cause, or result in, any long-term impacts on species population or diversity.
  
  Surface Water
  The replacement span will have no impact on surface water quality and quantity.
  
  Groundwater
  The Study Area is not a recharge area for the underlying aquifers due to the large percentage of impervious surface materials and the presence of the surface aquitard.
  
  Fish and Fish Habitat
  There are no adverse impacts on fish and fish habitat from the construction or operation of the replacement span. No piers are situated in the Detroit River and structural pilings would be located approximately 30 metres south of the river bank. All of the runoff from the replacement span will be collected and directed to a new stormwater management system to avoid any impacts from runoff.