Detroit Bridge Wars

[rawmustard]

The Detroit Free Press is running a series of articles about the battle over a new bridge. Included in this series is an interview with Matthew Maroun (Matty's son), an article which purports to separate some of the exaggerations made in the argument, and today's article about how the Ambassador's owners profit from tax-free fuel, plus an assortment of accompanying editorials and columns. I would presume that one last article will run for tomorrow's edition, but there's plenty of new material posted over the last two days.

[MichiganDriver]

I never even considered the gas issues in why Maroun is fighting thing, but I'm not surprised. It all comes back lining his pockets at our expense

[MichiganDriver]

New International Trade Crossing bridge would ease border congestion, study says

The Detroit International Bridge Co.'s proposed second bridge between Detroit and Canada would not eliminate the current congestion on both sides of the border but the New International Trade Crossing bridge would do so, according to an independent study released today by the Anderson Economic Group.

Anderson's analysis also found that Michigan taxpayers would not be on the hook for money borrowed to build either bridge. However, tolls to cross any new bridge would need to be increased if traffic volumes fall short of expectations.

The East Lansing-based economic consulting firm compared the two competing bridge proposals, which are at the center of a fierce battle between Ambassador Bridge owner Manuel (Matty) Moroun and Gov. Rick Snyder. Moroun's Detroit International Bridge wants to build a second span over the Detroit River while Snyder is backing the New International Trade Crossing bridge that would be operated by a public authority and compete against the Ambassador Bridge.

The Anderson report was not done for any clients and stops short of favoring one proposal over the other. The report "makes points in favor of both proposals," said Alex Rosaen, an Anderson consultant and one of the study's authors.

Manny has been lying through he teeth, but what's new

[rawmustard]

Matty may face jail, penalties, for contempt

All I can say it it's about damn time!

[Brandon]

Matty may face jail, penalties, for contempt

All I can say it it's about damn time!

I saw.  I liked.  Need to finish second bridge and approach to first bridge while this jerkoff is in jail.

[rawmustard]

The Michigan Court of Appeals issued two opinions affirming lower court rulings in favor of MDOT in regards to the Gateway Project. My instincts tell me they'll be appealed to the Michigan Supreme Court.

[vdeane]

Would Matty do anything else?

[Daniel Fiddler]

If Moron has been found in contempt already and could be facing incarceration, I think he will be walking on eggshells for now.

[Stephane Dumas]

I spotted this article from the Detroit Free Press
http://www.freep.com/article/20120112/NEWS01/120112008/Matty-Moroun-Ambassador-Bridge-dispute?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE

A three-judge panel of the Michigan Court of Appeals Thursday evening denied 84-year-old billionaire Manuel (Matty) Moroun's and his top aide's request for release from jail pending appeal.

That means the Ambassador Bridge owner and president, sent to jail this morning by a Wayne County judge until they comply with his order to finish Gateway project ramps, will stay in jail at least until the appeals court hears further arguments.

It was not clear when they will occur.

It was the latest development in a stunning day that saw Wayne County Sheriff's deputies leading Moroun and Dan Stamper out of the courtroom Thursday morning. Circuit Judge Prentis Edwards denied motions from their lawyers seeking to delay the jailing pending appeal.

In an hour-long hearing of high drama in a packed courtroom, attorneys for the pair offered multiple arguments to keep the men out of jail. They said the men had resigned their positions with the Detroit International Bridge Co. and so were no longer able to control what happened in the dispute. An attorney for Stamper flourished a paper that he said was Stamper's resignation letter and laid it before the judge.

- Update: Resignations didn't take effect.

The lawyers also argued that jailing violated the constitutional rights of Moroun and Stamper. After Edwards rejected all their arguments and deputies led the men away, attorneys for the pair left immediately for the Michigan Court of Appeals to file appeals, hoping to win release for Moroun and Stamper before the end of the day.

Moroun had entered the courtroom smiling and greeting his associates, but appeared shocked and stunned after Edwards ordered him jailed.

And I spotted a interesting motivationnal poster at http://www.detroityes.com/mb/showthread.php?12447-Ambassador-Bridge-Owner-Moroun-and-aide-Stamper-Jailed&p=296495#post296495

[Brandon]

The poster is MOST appropriate!  Matty Moron needs to spend a bit of time in the joint (Hell, put him in Jackson!) until he gets the point.

[SP Cook]

Judges who use contept powers in this manner are generally out of control.  In our free society, people are not jailed in matters that involve simple political disputes.

[jOnstar]

     I am half and half on the whole thing. It may be going a little too far putting a 80 + year old in jail for this, but at the same time... he was warned, and did not follow the court order intentionally. So... somthing had to be done here. I drive by the bridge at least twice a week, and it is almost embarrassing to see the unfinished bridge when this project has been going on for years now.

     The bridge has been a big issue this week. Not only this, but a worker who was painting the bridge fell off when he equipment failed. Sorry to say... he lost his life, but now the news is all over the contracting companies and the bridge company for past safety issues.

[vdeane]

While in general I disagree with the concept of contempt of court, it's warranted in this case.  Mouron broke the law.  He has no right to twin the Ambassador bridge and he is the only one that wants to.  Everyone else that matters (the state of Michigan and Canada) is dead set against it and want DRIC (as do many roadgeeks).  He is legally obligated to finish the gateway project as planned.  Just because he's rich doesn't give him the right to flout the law and do whatever he wants.  He made a contract.  Now he wants to change it.  Tough.

[kurumi]

Key paragraph from the Free Press article:

"MDOT sued the bridge company in 2009 after its saw that DIBC was not building its portion according to what MDOT said was the agreed-upon design. Instead, the company built a roadway that took traffic past the company's lucrative duty-free store and fuel pumps, and that kept thousands of trucks bound for expressways on Fort and other surface streets."

In other words, a mini-Breezewood.

Semi-related: Steve Perry discusses the use of non-existent "South Detroit" in the lyrics to "Don't Stop Believin'"

[rawmustard]

It should be noted here that Maroun and Stamper were released last night pending an expedited review by the Court of Appeals scheduled for Feb 2. There is also a summary discussing impacts to the neighborhood as a result of the dispute.

[rawmustard]

Matthew (son of Matty) Maroun announced the controversial Pier 19 ramp will be removed (construction started today) and control of Gateway will be ceded to a committee with some outsiders. This is being done in hopes of preventing Matty Maroun and Dan Stamper being returned to jail.

[rawmustard]

I'm rather shocked myself, but Judge Prentis Edwards ordered the bridge company to cede control of the Gateway project to MDOT and pay $16 million for the work. Whether this will get the work done faster isn't exactly clear at this point.

[texaskdog]

Here's an article explaining the many problems that the government, both national and local, are having with the bridge company. The root of the whole issue is that the bridge company acts like it's a part of the federal government.

Much like the federal reserve

[bulldog1979]

I'm rather shocked myself, but Judge Prentis Edwards ordered the bridge company to cede control of the Gateway project to MDOT and pay $16 million for the work. Whether this will get the work done faster isn't exactly clear at this point.

Ok, I have many issues with this "bridge war". I could go into great detail based on the facts on record, but MDOT and the State of Michigan has been a bully for decades.

1. I-75 and I-96 weren't directly connected to the bridge in the 1950s and 1960s. That would have been the perfect time to connect it to the freeway system. Our other international bridges were connected to the Interstates, but not the Ambassador Bridge.

2. The Ambassador Bridge has always been privately owned. Until Central Cartage (Matty Maroun's company) bought it in the late 1970s, the Detroit International Bridge Company, which together with Canadian Transit Company actually owns the structure, was publicly traded. CC bought up the remaining stock and took the companies private. Now DIBC/CTC have has been wholly owned subsidiaries of Central Cartage for over 30 years.

3. DIBC and MDOT signed a contract for the Gateway Project that included conceptual drawings, not final plans. The contract has provisions and leeway to make changes, in part, because no detailed drawings were included in it. Basically, it said that DIBC would built its half, MDOT would build its half, and the ramps the crossed the property lines would meet up.

4. There have been issues with City of Detroit abandoning the right-of-way for a city street. DIBC bought all of the adjacent property and included it in their plaza area. If 23rd St. were still a public street, then yes, DIBC would need to build the ramps to overpass the street. MDOT has insisted that the ramps be elevated to cross what shouldn't be a public ROW anymore.

5. DIBC built ramps right up to its property line already. MDOT did not build the connect on its side of the line. DIBC gave MDOT easements and access to its property so that the state could finish the connection. MDOT has demanded that DIBC give the state parcels of private property so they could finish the work saying that the easements weren't enough.

6. MDOT has not given DIBC the necessary permits to complete the one maintenance road that is supposed to connect to M-85 (Fort Street). The road, as I understand, is complete up to the edge of the trunkline ROW. Yet in court, this is another complaint by MDOT's lawyer.

Look, I'm not saying that Central Cartage/DIBC lacks any blame for these issues regarding their preparations for a second span. Their attitude at times is a bit too self-righteous in assuming that the original permissions and approvals for the bridge automatically allow them to build a second bridge. But the fact remains that the bridge is still privately owned, and businesses are allowed to make money and defend their interests. The state has bullied the company around, and claimed that DIBC hasn't built things according to the contract when the contract never had enough detailed specifications to follow.

The benefit to the state, so long as the judges and the media have played along, is that they are slowly fostering ill will against DIBC. If they can paint the company as the villains long enough, they could sway support for their new bridge. Unlike the state, DIBC can't use anything but its tolls and other income from things like its gas stations or duty-free shops to pay for maintenance. Michigan and Ontario could finance and maintain the new bridge with taxpayer money in addition to tolls, meaning they could set toll rates lower on DRIC and drive DIBC out of business.

[vdeane]

1. As mentioned in the Breezewood discussion, it was illegal at the time to build connections between toll roads and free roads with federal funding if the interchange only served the toll road.  As such, MDOT would have had to pay 100% of the cost of a direct connection at that time.

2. Just because they're private doesn't mean they get special powers to be above everyone else.  In fact, I would say that a business running something as important as our infrastructure should be given less freedom than a regular business.

3. This doesn't mesh with everything else reporting on the topic.  If true, it's questionable whether a valid contract exists at all.

6. The permits were probably considered to be included in the contract.

The reason for the new bridge is not to drive Mouron out of business, it's to make another crossing (and fix a breezewood between the US and Canada).  And what Mouron is doing isn't just protecting their business - it's artificially attempting to maintain a monopoly and status quo conditions.  Changing conditions is a fact of life for businesses, and you either adapt or die.  To attempt to force the status quo to stay the same to benefit your business is to go against the capitalistic underpinnings of our society.

[mightyace]

The more time goes on and the more I read about it, I wonder does it really matter who's more right?

IMHO, both sides have been playing word games and court games in the current fight.  So, if MDOT or DIBC is more right, that simply means they are less of an a**hole than the other side.

A pox on both their houses.

[JREwing78]

Ambassador owners plan to take bridge battle to November ballot
http://www.freep.com/article/20120421/BUSINESS06/204210360/Ambassador-owners-plan-to-take-bridge-battle-to-November-ballot?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE

I'll say this much about Moroun - he doesn't give up easily.

[rawmustard]

One of the major parts of the Gateway project was opened yesterday, as the truck road was finally completed. There will be a ceremony at 10:30 this morning to commemorate this.

[JREwing78]

More: http://www.freep.com/article/20120516/BUSINESS06/205160326/Truck-freeway-connector-opens?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|FRONTPAGE|s

Not sure how MDOT figures they lose federal highway funding by opening already-finished ramps. I wish they would have given a better explanation, because that only fuels the fire further and makes them look bad.

[vdeane]

Bridge customer: When the bridge company is allow to run the bridge, traffic flows. This snarl is from Gov. Rick Snyder's decision to take control!!

Yeah, right.  MDOT is the only entity that completed the gateway; the bridge company was busy pursuing the second span pipe dream.  They should be dissolved over this farce.