WASHINGTON DC – U.S. Chamber of Commerce President Thomas Donohue wrote a newspaper column published Tuesday that calls for the construction of a new bridge connecting Detroit and Windsor, Ontario, whether the government-run proposal or the one from the owners of the Ambassador Bridge.
Donohue’s column, published in the Washington Examiner, is a different stance from the one he espoused about a month ago. In February, the Detroit International Bridge Company circulated a statement from Mr. Donohue extolling the proposal to build a second Ambassador span.
“The Ambassador Bridge, a Michigan Company, held a news conference on February 16th where they announced $867 million worth of toll credits to be used by Michigan to leverage over $3 billion of Federal Transportation Funds,” Donohue said. “This is what the private sector does best. The Ambassador Bridge is a good solution – I say build it!”
But in the Tuesday column, Donohue is more open to the government-led New International Trade Crossing, formerly known as the Detroit River International Crossing.
“Both projects enjoy broad support from the Michigan and Ontario business communities and both plans would create thousands of badly needed, high-paying construction and other jobs in Detroit and its environs,” Donohue wrote. “A spirited debate is now underway over which bridge should be built. In my view, we must build one bridge, or the other, or both. Doing nothing is unacceptable.”
Donohue also added: “We must also recognize that given the breadth of the nation’s infrastructure needs as well as the enormity of federal and state deficits and long-term debt, that private investment must be welcomed and included as a critical component of our infrastructure strategy.”
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