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Presented by: Detroit International Bridge Company Canadian Transit Company March 27, 2010 Ambassador Bridge U.S plaza of the bridgeCanadian plaza of the bridgeAmbassador Bridge SOLVING BORDER CHAOS! SOLVING BORDER CHAOS!
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Ambassador Bridge Central Crossing Corridor Ambassador Bridge Central Corridor Crossing: International symbol - #1 international border crossing Accommodates more than 26% of the trade between Canada and the United States Constructed in 1929 with private funds Created by reciprocal legislation to meet the needs of commerce and trade by Canada, Great Britain and the United States 3
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Ambassador Bridge Central Crossing Corridor Located in the southeast Michigan and southwest Ontario transportation corridor: Ambassador Bridge, Blue Water Bridges, Windsor-Detroit Tunnel (3 vehicular crossings ) 2 ferry services and 2 rail tunnels all serve the same pool of commercial and passenger traffic Existing traffic data at all vehicular crossings confirm declining trend in border crossing traffic 6
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3 Vehicular Border Crossings along Corridor Blue Water Bridge Detroit-Windsor Tunnel Ambassador Bridge located in Port Huron, MI / Sarnia, Ontario original bridge was 4 lanes second span was built in 1994 that created additional lanes capacity beyond 2030 located in Downtown Detroit, MI / Windsor, Ontario tunnel has (1) lane both ways backups common; limited commercial vehicles are allowed to use the tunnel located in Detroit, MI / Windsor, Ontario original bridge with 4 lanes plans for an replacement span underway replacement span provides 2 lanes each way to accommodate FAST and NEXUS 19
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Ambassador Bridge Central Crossing Corridor Located in the southeast Michigan and southwest Ontario transportation corridor: Current economic state coupled with world recession means the downward trend in border crossing traffic is accelerating Windsor-Detroit tunnel traffic down 50.4% since 1999 - 34.% decline in vehicles using the Ambassador Bridge corridor since 1999 17.6% decline in traffic at the Blue Water Bridges since twinning in 2000 5
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Ambassador Bridge Central Crossing Corridor Commercial and Passenger Traffic: 1965 – Auto Pact 1989 – Free Trade Agreement 1994 – NAFTA 1994 – Windsor Casino Temporary Location 1998 – Windsor Casino Permanent Location 5
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Ambassador Bridge Central Crossing Corridor Traffic Levels: Traffic volumes lower today than in 1999 Total Traffic Ambassador Bridge: 1999 – 12,348,762 2001 – 11,057,495 (-10.5% since 1999) 2003 – 9,572,456 (-22.5% since 1999) 2005 – 9,295,824 (-24.7% since 1999) 2007 – 8,953,029 (-27.5% since 1999) 2009 – 6,471,999 (-47.6% since 1999) 5
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Ambassador Bridge Central Crossing Corridor Total Traffic Blue Water Bridges: 1999 – 5,537,827 2000 – 5,967,141 2001 – 5,678,702 (-4.6% since 2000) 2003 – 5,433,534 (-8.7% since 2000) 2005 – 5,509,311 (-7.4% since 2000) 2007 – 5,038,045 (-15.3% since 2000) 2009 – 4,474,566 (-24.8% since 2000) July 1997, the second span opened for service and original span closed for renovations November 1999, both spans operational 5
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Ambassador Bridge Central Crossing Corridor Total Traffic Windsor – Detroit Tunnel: 1999 – 9,542,121 2001 – 7,682,190 (-19.2% since 1999) 2003 – 6,535,971 (-31.5% since 1999) 2005 – 5,922,830 (-37.9% since 1999) 2007 – 4,844,063 (-49.2% since 1999) 2009 – 3,948,982 (-58.6% since 1999) 5
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Ambassador Bridge – Gateway Project 11 $230 million funded project on the U.S side of the border Gateway project is 75% completed Direct link of the Ambassador Bridge corridor to U.S interstate system (I-75 / I-96 / I-94) Principle purpose of the AB Gateway Project to accommo- date future border crossing capacity needs and future second span of the Ambassador Bridge
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Ambassador Bridge – Gateway Project Ambassador Bridge Gateway Environmental Assessment: Resulted in the issuance of three FONSIs (findings of no significant impact) Approved in 1997 and re-evaluated in 1999 and 2004 FONSI had three objectives – one of those objectives was to accommodate the Ambassador Bridge Second Span 12
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Ambassador Bridge – Detroit Plaza New customs plaza constructed in the U.S. doubling inspection capacity Ambassador Bridge Gateway project makes Detroit plaza as accessible as possible Both plazas sized to accommodate future traffic projections Replacement span provides the resource required to continue the flow of traffic with minimal impacts on the community 14
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Ambassador Bridge – Windsor Plaza 13 Windsor plaza project expands existing facilities and capable of accommodating Replacement Span January 2006 – 3 new customs booths on Windsor plaza completed 2008 – additional 6 new customs booths on Windsor plaza completed Total of 9 additional customs booths added to the Windsor plaza
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Ambassador Bridge – Replacement Span Creates more than 20,000 jobs over the next two decades 4,000 jobs within the first year Entirely privately funded No municipal, provincial or federal funds required Immediate catalyst for economic growth in the Windsor-Detroit area 2
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Ambassador Bridge – Replacement Span Replacement of eighty (80) year old structure Use of existing roadways and new highway connections (Ambassador Bridge Gateway Project) Cable-stayed design No piers in the Detroit River 10
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Ambassador Bridge – Replacement Span Provides long-term solution for southeast Michigan and southwest Ontario transportation corridor: Significant environmentally sustainable feature includes $60 million water reclama- tion and treatment facility Installation of a model intelligent transportation system to automate customs, toll collecting and other processes to facilitate international trade, as requested by the NAFTA 7
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Detroit River International Crossing Failed to look take into consideration existing and expanded capacity: Blue Water Bridge plaza improvements Detroit-Windsor tunnel plaza improvements Windsor Truck Ferry improvements Detroit Intermodal Freight Terminal CP rail tunnel expansion to accommodate international containers 7
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Detroit River International Crossing Declining traffic levels / economic climate: DRIC relied on outdated traffic levels and declining trend throughout the corridor US Midwest manufacturing industry has fallen into a depression Effects of NAFTA absorbed Detroit has three casinos with additional casinos scheduled for construction in Ohio 2 of 3 automobile manufacturers went into bankruptcy 7
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Detroit River International Crossing Redundancy not proper consideration: Location of DRIC bridge in Central Crossing Corridor in proximity to the Ambassador Bridge does not create redundancy (Department of State conclusion) Any incident impacting the Ambassador Bridge would impact the DRIC bridge 7
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Detroit River International Crossing Failure to consider “do nothing” alternative: Ambassador Bridge Gateway Project part of existing infrastructure and represents “do nothing” alternative Environmental and community impacts of DRIC hidden from public scrutiny Information released by DRIC team indicating concern about the “ultimate cost of a new bridge, community disruption and how quickly it can be completed.” 7
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Detroit River International Crossing Current infrastructure exceeds capacity needs: 2006 DRIC team acknowledges that traffic was decreasing to such an extent that a new crossing was no longer required Border delays attributed to customs’ requirements and heightened security post 9/11 Failure of customs to man all existing inspection booths At any one time only ½ of the customs’ booths provided at the Ambassador Bridge are operational due to lack of customs’ officers 7
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Detroit River International Crossing Current infrastructure exceeds capacity needs: Legislative changes for customs processing at land border crossings Legislative changes will result in decreased crossing times for commercial shipments NEXUS / FAST pre-approved travelers Changes to border processing by Canadian and US customs’ agencies not taken into account 7
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Detroit River International Crossing Threatened or Endangered Species: DRIC bridge will negatively impact vegetation and numerous species (special concern, endangered and/or threatened) No consideration of precautionary principle in a manner that protects the environment and human health and prevents environmental degradation and loss of Ontario’s biological diversity 7
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Detroit River International Crossing Environmental Effects outside of Canada: US DRIC plaza and bridge located in Delray community of Detroit Delray is a low-income, low-political influence, minority neighbourhood Delray population is 56% Hispanic and 86% minority DRIC bridge coupled with the DIFT results in destruction of Delray 7
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Detroit River International Crossing Predetermined Conclusion: Lands purchased for DRIC plaza five months prior to Federal Screening Report being released for comment Failure to incorporate mitigation strategies Planning / Needs Feasibility Study completed outside of the public participation process Neglected to follow terms of reference – only differences between various alternatives assessed 7
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Ambassador Bridge – Replacement Span Use of existing infrastructure resulting in negligible to no impacts on natural environment All technical studies and information submitted to the federal government for review and approval in the form of an Environmental Impact Statement Studies and detailed information available at www.ambassadorbridge.com or the Canadian Environmental Assessment Registry at http://www.ceaa.gc.ca/050/index_e.cfm www.ambassadorbridge.com http://www.ceaa.gc.ca/050/index_e.cfm 18
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Questions & Answers THANK – YOU Paula Lombardi plombardi@ambassadorbridge.com
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