My Bridge Blog
I find this interesting, the ABC is stepping up its battle to build their span.
For the record, I personally (NOT SCALEDOWN) have supported the bridge’s span because I believe that the Nexus program doesn’t work or even make sense unless it has end to end lanes. I believe There are only two ways to accomplish this. If a second span ever got built, to buy the bridge and make it only 1 lane each way for regular traffic (like the tunnel) and 1 lanes each way for nexus.
The only other option would be to build the 2nd span. Do I care about Sandwich? Your damn right I do, it has more of WIndsor’s heritage than Walkerville. I have no quarrel with people in sandwich, I just think these othertopics are the elephant in the room that no one wants to talk about. Can you hold two opposing thoughts in your head at the same time as the F.Scott Fitzgerald quote goes? I can dislike how the ABC does business and still recognize the merits of their arguments. I can want to protect Sandwich and still want an efficient border crossing and link to Downtown as described below.
Separately, I do not understand for the life of me why they will not allow the DRIC road to connect to the bridge.Two reasons
1. They can build umpteen border crossings and the ones we have will not be taken away. Why not finish them?
2. With all this talk about the DRIC road. No one has mentioned that it does not efficiently connect to our downtown. The only way to do this is by way of the ABC and that is not being allowed to happen for political reasons.
3. Unless you residential streets to Riverside Drive which makes no sense, The path that leads from the ABC to the Downtown takes cars through residential streets, shows a very ugly gateway corridor down Wyandotte (Chinatown or my preferably named Asian Village is stalled with no Asian sense of place planned for the streetscape)
Now on to today’s news
In today’s paper we have a story about ABC ordering a floating bridge design. This is very interesting as it seems to take away the entire argument of a need for redundancy in case of terrorist attack. What would be interesting is finding out the answer to the following question: In case of catastrophic terrorist attack on the ABC, how long would it take to rebuild? How long would a floating bridge be in place that would prevent traffic on the Detroit River? I realize they say a section would have the ability to open and close but that would be quite the obstacle for traffic. (Maybe they would make all ships wait until 4am and have the bridge closed for 2-3 hrs per day and put them through all at once but then anchoring ships right downtown would be quite the hazzard)
On to the second Development. Bridge hires Adolph Mongo to silence critic
Adolph Mongo’s own words on his support for Kwami Kilpatrick
“…I’m a consultant, all consultants are for sale.
I didn’t support Kwame Kilpatrick when he ran against Gil Hill, but four years later he called me personally and asked me to be on his team because we could make a better team for Detroit. That’s why I went there. It had nothing to do with…I’m flip-flopping, but yes, I’m in business. (emphasis added)
Here he is saying that he thinks Kwame was lynched, that he was a great leader and that if he was Carl Levin this wouldn’t happen. “If he was treated like every other joe it would be misdemeanor and it would be gone”
http://apps.detnews.com/apps/multimedia/player/index.php?id=2537‘
How many hired guns will the ABC have in Windsor next muncipal election? How many Ward conflicts will they put their support behing? I’m happy that the 10 ward boundary review will meet this challenge head on by mitigating the money factor but I don’t like how this company plays politics and I don’t like the thought of them influencing an election in Windsor.
I would also be very wary of Municipal Candidates who receive the Bridge support.
Post Feedback
The only problem is that most people won’t know who the Bridge supported until after the race. There is no real time donation disclosure requirement at the Municipal level. The only way to force the issue is for candidates to voluntarily disclose all donations over $100 on their websites. Those that don’t would then deserve extra scrutiny and questioning.
yeah, or just plain out ask them during their campaign. If they lie, they will be subject to a legitimate and legal recall for misleading the public. Im not sure that campaign donations work quite the same in Canada as they do in the USA.
Mark, I have a few extra issues to add to your posting…
Yes, because of physical location, the bridge has an advantage to connect to downtown. However, if they are allowed to continue charging high toll rates with no regulation, you will not need to worry about cross-border visitors, because they won’t come. If I was a small business owner in Windsor/Essex that relied on tourism, I would be very afraid of toll rates. Right now, the government owned Bluewater Bridge charges $2.75/crossing or $5 for a round trip (if you buy 2 tokens). ABC is currently $4.75 each way for a less-than superior crossing experience. What will the ABC’s tolls be if left unregulated? Windsor is shifting to a service industry, and therefore, low tolls will be our lifeline. Otherwise, you may as well add ABC tax on top of the PST and GST for every purchase in the region… because that is what the toll is.
Connection to Downtown can easily be done from the DRIC bridge location using SIGNS. Hop on the EC Row, Head up the beautiful Dougall/Ouelette corridor. Driving up the overpass at Jackson Park has one of the BEST urban vistas in all of Canada. Or even better, drive along the river, through Sandwich, en route to downtown. Trust me, nobody that is just passing through to the 401 decides on a whim to go downtown, unless there is a famous reason to do so…. and right now, there isn’t.
Just imagine this possibility: DRIC bridge is built, handles majority of truck traffic, and people heading to the airport. That leaves the Ambassador in a position to close for necessary repairs, and reopen as a great passenger vehicle route, a better connection between the downtowns of Windsor and Detroit. Heck, they could even work on putting a passenger LRT over the bridge linking the downtowns if they want! (it would at least not be seasonal like a ferry)
Also, I do not think that the floating bridge idea offers security in redundancy as much as it seems to be a scare tactic by the ‘powers that be’. Keep in mind, should the Ambassador fail, or be closed due to repairs, there is nowhere to land the floating bridge at river-level on property owned by ABC. That would mean that you would have to construct customs booths on both sides, and US Border Security is not going to let this fly. Also, in the Windsor Star article about the ferry-service, they mentioned that any new crossings that are built requires that the owners build a customs facility and pay for the customs agents wages. I think ABC’s small-sneaky steps are trying to work around this rule. (And work around the EA that they wont do)
Call this ‘twin-span’ bridge what it is: a NEW bridge, not a twin. A twin would at least make an attempt to resemble the old span. Besides, I think these two contrasting spans side-by-side will not be an attractive ‘world-class’ look for the Detroit River. (especially because we all know that the old span will rot and rust and be given no attention whatsoever)
I really cannot throw support behind a company that has manipulated their intentions, done sneaky business deals, and buys out and silences politicians on both sides of the border. They have squandered any public trust that they may have had before.
I think we need toll competition. We need crossing redundancy. We need transparency in the process. We need less corruption in municipal and business leaders. For all these reasons together, I strongly support the DRIC Bridge.
JP, I agree. While I don’t know enough about the two options to form an opinion on which would be best especially considering the huge price tag for the DRIC Bridge, the tactics of ABC are deplorable. In my opinion, the poisonous environment this issue has created is the prime reason for all the secrecy, mistrust and inaction in Windsor. So if for nothing else than to get Windsor working together and moving forward again, I would probably support the DRIC option too.
Edwin, your sentiment is shared by so many. Its too bad the Federal government won’t just cough up the money and buy the Bridge.
Maybe Adolph Mongo will read this blog and get a better idea what he’s up against if he consults strategy on this side. I don’t think the ABC understands how people view them on this side of the border. More likely they simply don’t care anymore.
Other than the Lone blogger who right to express their opinion without comments. It astonishes me how much people will defend this ABC spokesman
Mark, this blogger makes clear his informed interpretation of the bridge company’s intent in a blog titled “Mini-Gord’s Border Wars” dated July 23rd, 2009.
Responding to a story by Chris Vander Doelen that suggests that the border wars might finally be over he responds with:
“[Nothing has changed. The war has barely started with only a few lawsuits commenced so far. Wait until the parties get busy at it. We are looking at 20 years of grief, several years longer than the other FIRA lawsuit that was settled eventually. This time, the region will really suffer with no economic diversification plans around. Or jobs. Citizens for Jobs Now get moving already.]”
What is your interpretation of that comment?
- “20 years of grief”
- “this time, the region will really suffer”
I’m sorry Mark, I can’t support such tactics. Not when it is my hood, where I intend to raise my family, that is going to suffer.
First, on the tolls
The bridge makes one heck of an argument that they have one cost that the tunnel doesn’t “Property taxes”. Regardless of whether a border crossing is public or private, its a tax grab.
What really sucks is that no one looks at the setting of the toll in terms of using it as a tourism strategy? Its simply a question of how much more can we charge while having a drop in trips that keeps us in a net gain?
Second
I really believe in our city having a downtown to downtown connection. Its why I vociferously opposed the crackpot idea of moving U.S. tunnel customs to the bridge. The ABC maintained the idea was on the back burner while at the same time still bidding for the downtown parking garage that our Tunnel customs officers used. By moving detroit tunnel customs to the bridge, I guessed that no one would even consider going through our downtown to detroit when they’d end up at the bridge anyways.
My example would be No more dinner at a downtown restaurant’s and off to the wings game when you get their faster by having dinner on a Huron Line restaurant and take the bridge. Our downtown to downtown connection would be cancelle
They dropped this idea quickly which included full page architect renderings in the Windsor Star and the Detroit News/Freepress. An idea that would be easily taken off the shelf when an opportune time arose.
With the ABC company its a matter of loving the product, not so much the seller of that product.HY?????
Mark Boscariol, do you have any links or references to the bridge moving the tunnel plaza drawings? I cant find them… Admittedly, I don’t know much about that plan.
(which adds to the secrecy problem with the ABC)
Mark, why doesnt someone look at reduced toll rates as a tourism strategy? (great idea) Other than Caesars paying for toll on opening weekend, I don’t think it has ever happened. Shouldn’t this be something that the DWBIA handles? Like: Show your Tunnel receipt at a restaurant, and get a free token to return? (on off-peak hours)
And can the tunnel and bridge handle the weekend traffic? (Even now, entering Windsor on Friday afternoons at the Ambassador can be +1 hr when there is a major downtown event or Caesars event… with ALL Canadian customs booths open).
You mention the traffic squeeze at the Ambassador, and quite honestly, I’m not sure what the new span will do to fix that physically constrained plaza, since they want to use the same landings and plazas. The biggest problem I see is the pinch point when entering the bridge (toward Detroit), as trucks round the inside lane, they push into the left lane.
I believe the Mayor’s attempt to buy the U.S. side of the tunnel is an attempt to try to use this asset. I’ve talked to someone on the tunnel commission who say to me “Mark what does it matter if we keep our side of the tolls low when they raise them on the U.S. side regardless?”
The traffic squeeze I mentioned was at the Tunnel entrance. The U.S. side of the bridge is highway heaven.
“What really sucks is that no one looks at the setting of the toll in terms of using it as a tourism strategy? Its simply a question of how much more can we charge while having a drop in trips that keeps us in a net gain?”
Kettle. Pot. Black.
I had lunch at a restaurant about 100 metres or so from the Horseshoe Falls yesterday. The price of a carbonated beverage? $3.25. What was that about a tourism strategy? It’s okay for a tourism-related business to charge me what the market will bear, but it’s not okay for the bridge company?
Yeah, I totally get your point, and Windsor businesses are far worse offenders due to their taking advantage of exchange rates in the 90’s. offering americans par or 10%.
But why would you defend anyone, let alone an American, for screwing Windsorites over? Where is the logic in that? I’m on Windsor’s side
I’m not sure what a person’s nationality has to do with this discussion?
Exactly how is ABC “screwing” over Windsorites? By wanting to build a new bridge that will provide exclusive lanes for NEXUS/FAST card holders thereby making it easier to travel between Detroit and Windsor? By wanting to build a new bridge that will result in less noise and pollution?
ANother main point is that Sure JP you can technically and theoretically make it to downtown without going by way of the Bridge but WHY for heavens sake?
Why would you want to subject someone to more traffic than less?
Why wouldn’t you want to have someone continue up a Huron Line with only a few stop lights (1 at holiday in, 1 at tecumseh). Connect to Riverside Drive and take a wonderfully scenic route to our downtown?
The route from the Bridge to Downtown is a safety hazard. You have to cross umpteen lanes of truck traffic to get to the downtown ramp. Its a wonder no one has been creamed yet. The alternative is up Wyandotte which either takes you on a residential road to the Drive or down Wyandotte which is not exactly one of the Mayor’s Gateway projects
The bridge plan to move the U.S. tunnel customs plaza wasn’t secret, in fact it was their mistake to go so public without thoroughly thinking this plan through.
This was about 4 years ago and there were full page ads in Newspapers on both sides.
They tried to capitalize on the U.S. detroit customs problems. The fact that Jefferson was built just too damn close to the Tunnel opening. That there used to be a huge mess when it comes to Queuing going towards detroit. I think the U.S. then addressed this problem by preventing left turns from Jefferson into the tunnel entrance and making traffic Queue on Jefferson.
There is still a potential problem if traffic numbers return to their previous highs. But back then there was quite the mess
The Bridge proposed that they build a freeway with giant ugly concrete walls on each side going from the U.S. tunnel Plaza along that road in front of Cobo right to the new bridge plaza.
If you took the tunnel downtown you would still find yourself at the bridge exit going back downtown.
I don’t like how that road bypassed downtown, just like I don’t like how the DRIC road ignores Downtown
I agree with JP that people using a new DRIC bridge would have easy access to hop onto EC Row, travel 5 minutes to Dougall, and then a quick 10 minute trip to downtown through our “Gateway” to the city. I don’t see how building a highway to the Ambassador Bridge would help downtown, no matter what, traffic would end up using Wyandotte Street or Riverside (both 1 lane roads) and it would still take 15 minutes to travel from Huron Line & EC Row (where a highway to the ABC would begin) to Downtown.
Unless I’m mistaken in reading the post and comments above, I don’t think there would be a huge difference between the two options.
Now on the merits of each project, I completely support putting a bridge with cars, trucks in queue in an area with minimal direct residential impact such as the Brighton Beach area.
Other than putting the screws to the ABC, or asked a different way, If the canadian gov’t owned the Bridge::
Why would you not want the DRIC Road extended to the foot of the Ambassador Bridge?
If the Ambassador was owned by the government, I would still want the DRIC bridge for redundancy, and car/truck filtering.
If you make a highway from EC Row to the Ambassador, then that doesnt help your original problem of getting people downtown, they will just get on the WE-Parkway/401 onramp, and leave the city. Better to have the DRIC to support all of Ontario, and have the Ambassador and Tunnel to service Windsor.
I think the citizens of Sandwich want to be part of this city, with the Bridge and Huron Church cutting right through the heart of the westside, it seals off Sandwich. It would be nice to see Huron Church as a normal city road without 10,000 trucks rumbling along constantly. It makes it safer for people going shopping or to grab some food along Huron Church.
Also, I don’t think I could support the Government paying hundreds of millions to build a highway, or a tunnel to the privately owned Ambassador Bridge entrance, if Matty would pay for part of that or give up some ownership on the Canadian side, then I’d be more inclined to support a second span. But even that’s not a guarantee based on the unethical business practices the Ambassador Bridge Company has shown.
On the subject of “redundancy”. This of course is the paranoid expectation that terrorists among us will blow up the bridge. The 9/11 attack on the U.S. was a coordinated effort that attempted to destroy multiple targets. If at Windsor/Detroit we had 2 bridges, 1 rail tunnel and 1 vehicle tunnel don’t you suppose that all 4 would be targeted simultaneously? Tactically a successful attack on any one of them would be a successful demonstration of “terror”. Strategically success at multiple targets would not only terrorize but, do tremendous economic damage as well. The only real redundancy is to either build a bridge that is sealed off and guarded by military personnel as a back-up or Matty’s crazy “Bailey” bridge.
If any event ever happened that would require deployment of such a radical fix as a pontoon bridge it would be under the strict supervision of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on both sides of the border. Under a NORCOM agreement Canadian and American soldiers can be deployed on either side of the border in a situation that is deemed to require such action.
In the event that the downriver bridge is built complete with controlled access to the 401 Windsor no longer exists in the logistical world. We won’t be a node or a stop-over. We will be by-passed - just keep on truckin’.
In that case you can kiss all those businesses along Huron Road good-bye just like the diners and motels of yesteryear along Hwy 2 and 3 and others that lost traffic to the 401 and the “freeway”.
Completely agree.
The redundancy argument is a red-herring. We have plenty of redundancy along the US-Canadian border.
Another bridge is not going to improve border security. Why should the overwhelming majority of Americans and Canadians have to put up with 10, 30 or 60 minute delays, showing documents and answering asinine questions to shop, dine or visit family and friends?
If trade is vital, we should be looking to dismantling the border not making i t harder to get through. We should switch to a perimeter system, where Canadian and US officials work together to secure Canada and the US as a whole. It seems to working well in Europe.
Some thoughts I’ve had recently on the whole bridge thing.
Why is a 2nd span in the existing corridor bad but, construction of a new bridge downriver, effectively pinning Sandwich between good?
Why is a privately owned bridge, operated under the laws of 2 sovereign nations and supervision of U.S. and Canadian border agencies bad, but a crown owned bridge, financed by a private corporation (who will take their profit first, before Federal Governments see any revenue) and operated under the laws of 2 sovereign nations and supervision of U.S. and Canadian border agencies good?
Why is a private citizen a bad owner/operator of a border crossing but, a faceless, multi-national corporation like Maquarrie operating the crossing will be good?
Thoughts…
“I think the citizens of Sandwich want to be part of this city, with the Bridge and Huron Church cutting right through the heart of the westside, it seals off Sandwich. It would be nice to see Huron Church as a normal city road without 10,000 trucks rumbling along constantly. It makes it safer for people going shopping or to grab some food along Huron Church.”
But I don’t think a Downriver bridge will accomplish that anymore than it is now. I thought sandwich would be better served by a greenlink type solution that connected them with the rest of the city.
Sandwich is currently cut off by huron line and its design as a half a**ed highway will not stop that even if a downriver bridge is built.
“Also, I don’t think I could support the Government paying hundreds of millions to build a highway, or a tunnel to the privately owned Ambassador Bridge entrance, if Matty would pay for part of that or give up some ownership on the Canadian side, then I’d be more inclined to support a second span. But even that’s not a guarantee based on the unethical business practices the Ambassador Bridge Company has shown.”
Public ownership to me is irrelevant, basically its a socialist thing. The U.S. had every right to sell what they want to sell and we will never be able to control U.S. assets. We do make I think the citizens of Sandwich want to be part of this city, with the Bridge and Huron Church cutting right through the heart of the westside, it seals off Sandwich. It would be nice to see Huron Church as a normal city road without 10,000 trucks rumbling along constantly. It makes it safer for people going shopping or to grab some food along Huron Church.
“Also, I don’t think I could support the Government paying hundreds of millions to build a highway, or a tunnel to the privately owned Ambassador Bridge entrance,….”
Why would we be given ownership? Are we a welfare charity case? The U.S. sold their asset, we never had say over that. Look at the flack Mayor gets by trying to prevent the tunnel from going into privat hands. If we want it we must buy it. I agree that it should be a public asset, but aren’t we spending millions more in unnecessary legal and opportunity costs by not simply buying the darn thing?
r
I’m not sure that the Ambassador Bridge and Huron Church cut off Sandwich as much as you say it does. South of College I would agree absolutely, but when I lived in the University area, I remember plenty of (walking) trips over to the Mill and Sandwich area from the east side of the bridge.
And though the transient student population isn’t a total representative of all of the west end/Sandwich neighbourhood, I knew of people who lived on the west side of the bridge (Baby, Brock, even the apartment buildings over by the Unitarian Church) who had very few connectivity difficulties with the east side of the bridge (mainly Campus, but other venues further east).
I lived on Chippawa while attending at the U and never saw the bridge as a barrier. That’s the thing with bridges, they allow traffic to flow underneath it.
I don’t know for sure as I never lived in the area for more than a few months on Peter Street way back when.
It comes down to this for me. I have no quarrel with the people of sandwich. I deeply respect the importance of that part of Windsor’s heritage. I just wanted a real debate about the pro’s and con’s of the real issues.
This comes down to the relevancy of the Nexus Program to our regions economy vs. the protection of the neighborhood. It comes down to the evaluating exactly what would be sacrificed by accomodating the Bridge vs. a
“Shush, don’t even talk about it” adult discussion of what an efficient ABC would cost us and look like because it might help them.
I’m actually happy and proud of Scaledown’s readership that this comment section didn’t immediately reduce itself to the George Bush “your with us or against us” attitude that prevails in Windsor.
“I just wanted a real debate about the pro’s and con’s of the real issues.”
What are the real issues?
Real Issues
1. How much lower can traffic go before they decide to change their numbers
(they keep using 50 year projections that have an incorrect baseline)
2. Reverse Customs
3. North American Perimeter Border
4. The fact that we’re working on Border Crossing #3 in Windsor when #’s 1 and 2 haven’t been finished
5. What the hell is the use of Nexus at the Tunnel or Bridge when you can’t have end to end lanes like on the Bluewater?
6. If having a public crossing is so important, why is no gov’t negotiating the purchase of the Ambassador bridge?
7. Why the largest highway project in Canada does have a more efficient connection to our downtown.
8. IF we’re going to use the E.C.Row to connect to downtown, why isn’t it all greenlinked up.
9. If greenlink is so important to Windsorites, why dont’ they use that standard for the E.C.Rowe or at least let you cross it at Dougall and Howard by Bicycle without taking your life in your hands.
Those are some issues I’d like to be discussed
Those are very good issues. First thoughts that pop into my head:
1. Growth is the new religion/dogma - numbers can ONLY go up. DRIC and our politicos will never report declining numbers. The real numbers will only be discovered when potential P3 suitors are considered and even then I would bet on a back-door deal that would “guarantee” ever increasing revenues.
2. Never going to happen. One day we may wake-up to find that the army has secured the borders and crossing sites have become installations of strategic importance or some other such thing.
3. See above. Our American cousins are very particular about their shit.
4. There are currently 4 crossings at Windsor/Detroit. None appear to be at capacity.
5. Certainly for a system like that to work every border crossing should have at least one dedicated lane in both directions.
6. Negotiation works when you have two parties that are willing to work at it. If one party is not interested then there’s nothing to negotiate.
7. Simple, because this highway project is designed to move products and parts between large centres in the most efficient manner possible. This project will ultimately benefit the Toronto region and industries east of Windsor. It is a by-pass. Downtown Windsor is not a factor.
8. Traffic using the down river connection will not be destined for Windsor.
9. Is Greenlink that important to Windsorites? Really?
“7. Why the largest highway project in Canada does have a more efficient connection to our downtown.”
I’m not sure what you are talking about or even getting at? You can be downtown from the 401 via Dougall and Ouellette in 10 to 15 minutes. It’s 10 minutes or less from the Ambassador Bridge. I see absolutely no need for some new “connection” to the downtown.
What would you propose as an efficient connection to the downtown?
That Greenlink/DRIC road be continued to the foot of the bridge and that there be a properly designed exit from that road as well as the bridge to riverside Drive Downtown.
The fact that to use the bridge exit to riverside drive forces you to cross something like 17 lanes of truck traffic makes no sense. There should be a better way.
Other cities have express routes downtown that don’t force you to stop at dozens of traffic lights, why can’t we?
On number 7, I think, you guys have the wrong approach. I don’t want Windsor to try to pan-handle for loose change from drive-thru traffic. Since we are located at a natural crossroads of North America, the opportunity is to develop the region as a hub, connected to the world by ship, rail, road and air. Ideally a multi-modal area can be created and the core of the city is connected to this area. Thus the core becomes the brains and heart of the city; a liveable, vibrant, globally competitive city.
Bless you Edwin. If anyone thinks the down river bridge is meant to connect Windsor to N. America - don’t. It is a by-pass. Controlled highway from Montreal to Florida, Long Beach to T.O.
Gone are the days when Windsor was a rail-head. Look at the cash being spent at Walker and Howard - to keep the trains moving. Those trains are formed up far away from here to go elsewhere.
Once the trucking industry was deregulated and CN built their tunnel at Sarnia our significance took a big hit. Now that so many parts plants and tool shops have packed it in we move far less into and out of Windsor.
I had a vision of what you have in mind (minus air) in one of my posts last summer. The giant corporate machinations of off-shore production and central distribution aren’t going to go away any time soon. They will fight and enlist gov’ts to keep it going as long as possible. Our significance here in Windsor is quite diminished. Getting companies like Wind-Tronics sniffing around an important step but, the trend toward mega-centres like Chicago and Toronto and the rest will carry on until the worst of the energy problems come and the corporate world can no-longer fight it.
But don’t other Highway bypasses to other cities have “Express to Downtown” lanes?
I would accept that as an answer if there were terrible logistical problems but the reason seems to be more of “Getting people downtown quickly helps the bridge so we can’t”
There was an Interesting conversation on one of Chris Schnurr’s blog posts where we talked about a temporary closing of the bridge access to downtown. Chris posted a map of how you could get downtown and it really showed how you would have to go by way of residential streets to get to Riverside Drive. That to me is unacceptable
Listen, Maybe the question should be “If the Canadian Government owned the Ambassador Bridge already, how would that border crossing and the road leading up to it be treated?”
I’d like an honest answer to that question.
My theory is that the DRIC bridge is not there to benefit Windsor. Could you get from the DRIC bridge to the expressway to downtown? Sure, but I’m convinced that we will get what we wished for from DRIC. That is NO MORE TRUCKS ON OUR CITY STREETS. Period. They’ll just roll on by.
Remember the Ambassador Bridge and the tunnel were built because the car became the transport of choice. Imaging driving to the ferry dock to queue up to get on the ferry. Drive onto the ferry and wait for everyone else to load then the trip across. Then wait your turn to get off the ferry and then do it all over again when it was time to go home. Now imagine the “convenience” of motoring over or under all those ferries and never having to wait. The bridge and tunnel were not built to facilitate international trade, they were built to service the Windsor/Detroit population allowing quick access to each others city.
If you come off the bridge turn left on College to Crawford right to Wyandotte, University or the Drive and voila you’re downtown. If the city can plant trees and astroturf on Dougall they can make that route a bit prettier too. The tunnel. Shit the tunnel is downtown and its run by the city. What more could you want?
As for your last bit - based on what I’ve seen of our past few federal governments - if they owned it they’d run it in a manner to make big business happy not you or me. But, an honest answer from a government source - we don’t get an honest number of jobs for the border road, we get a fantasy number to make our MPP’s seem like the second coming.
This may be of interest to you - if you already didn’t know.
Thursday, Sept 24 Presentation to W.E. Chamber of Commerce by Detroit Chamber “TranslinkeD”. Go to W.E. Chambers website for details. Go to http://www.translinkeddetroit.com for info on “TranslinkeD”
Perhaps council and the mayor shouldn’t have told DRTP to take hike when they redesigned their expanded rail tunnel and dropped the truck route. We too could have had double decker trains (and perhaps the yard to house them and their goods) go through. But typical Windsor fashion we tell business to piss off, we want it our way. Any wonder why it is so damned hard to attract any business here?
Trust me, I hear it everyday from owners to CEO’s as to why they would NEVER move or expand into the Windsor/Essex area. Just one of the reasons the WEDC has beena abysmal failure.
Exactly James. The flawed Reaganomics of consumption/service over production economics is coming home to roost. When energy starts to increase where we will be then?
A double-stack tunnel wouldn’t change a thing. Stuff comes to Montreal by ship. Containers onto trains. Regional goods transferred to truck at Toronto goods west formed up into trains to western Canada or mid-west U.S. to regional centres there.
Windsor is serviced by trucks from T.O. The new model doesn’t include local distribution. Where do the Timmies trucks come? Coke products? Grocery store stock? Windsor is a the end of the Ontario line not the beginning. I suspect that Detroit has become like this too. The trucks that cross the border are not coming to here they’re passing by here.
It’s bleak what I’m saying. It’s my perception of how things are playing out. Hey, we could wake up tomorrow and Ben Bernake will have found the trillions of dollars that disappeared and everything can go back how it was. Who the hell knows?
I know peak oil, Jeff Rubin it’s all going to change. Still, the machine has great momentum and there will be great resistance to the change. We need to adapt as a smaller, less prosperous city. Use what we have make the best of every opportunity we can make.
James, I think your ignoring the force of the current economic dead cat bounce
Since you acknowledge that it’s a “dead cat bounce” it puts you ahead of the “green shoots” crowd. Said bounce has a down side. I’m not ignoring it so much as looking beyond it at a very long, slow struggle just to regain stability.
Oh yeah, I really enjoyed this blog post
http://kunstler.com/blog/2009/08/financial-crisis-called-off.html#more
“…..Do you mean that the Home Equity Fairy is going to wade into the sea of foreclosure and save twenty million mortgage holders currently sojourning in the fathomless depths with the anglerfish? Do you mean that all the bales of deliquescing, toxic “assets” hidden in the vaults of Citibank, JP Morgan, Bank of America, et al, (not to mention on the books of every pension fund in the USA, and not a few elsewhere) will magically turn into Little Debbie Snack Cakes on Labor Day weekend? Do you mean that American Express and Master Card are about to declare a Jubilee on accounts in default everywhere? Do you mean that General Motors will produce a car that a.) anyone really wants to buy and b.) that the company can sell at a profit? Are you saying we get a do-over, going back to, say, 1981? Did we win some cosmic lottery that hasn’t been announced yet? What’s growing in this country besides unemployment, bankruptcy, repossession, liquidation, gun ownership, and suicidal despair? In short, are you out of your mind, Paul Krugman?”
However, the dead cat bounce will still seem like a recovery until the next crash and it buys us extra time to make some change.
Excellent site this http://www.scaledown.ca and I was really pleased to view what I was looking for… this
so I shall be very pleased to become a regular visitor
It’s taken me literally 2 hours and 52 minutes of searching the web to find you (not really)
See you soon