Canada is still awaiting the action of Washington on whether it will commit to funding its share of the Detroit River International Crossing between Windsor and Detroit. The US is expected to contribute towards the construction of the Customs Plaza in the American portion of the Crossing which is expected to cost $250 million.
However, Canada is now unsure if the US will commit. In January this year, Michigan Governor Rick Snyder told the editorial board of Detroit Free Press that Washington strongly believes against spending money for this facility. Until the US will pledge to fund the US Customs Plaza, the project will not be able to move forward. Even if engineering studies are in the process of being undertaken and the assembling of the land in the US portion is slated to begin in the first part of 2014, calling potential partners in the private sector to bid for the project cannot be done.
This six-lane bridge that connects Windsor, Ontario and Detroit, Michigan, is a 4 billion dollar project that will create a new border crossing answering the growing demand for international trade and travel between the neighboring countries.
The Government of Canada, which expects trade to increase with the project, has pledged to shoulder a major portion of the cost. Last year, Canada’s federal government said it shelled out $35 million to purchase a Windsor property where the bridge and plaza will be constructed. It is also expected to allocate $300 million to build traffic plazas and other necessary supporting border infrastructure for the project.
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