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Detroit Bridge Wars

Started by mightyace, June 16, 2009, 05:35:15 PM

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cbeach40

Work continuing on the new bridge - 1 million tonnes of gravel have been placed to build the base for the plaza on the Canadian side, and significant drainage issues are being addressed.

http://windsorstar.com/news/local-news/gordie-howe-bridge-plaza-work-making-signficant-progress

and waterrrrrrr!


JREwing78


vdeane

At this point I suspect the bridge will never be built and ON 401 will forever be a breezewood.
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position of NYSDOT or its affiliates.

The Great Zo

http://www.freep.com/story/money/business/michigan/2016/11/10/bridge-authority-issues-bid-request-gordie-howe-span/93554060/

QuoteWho will build Gordie Howe bridge? Bids requested

In a big step forward for the Gordie Howe International Bridge project, the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority on Thursday announced that it has issued the formal request for proposals to three teams of finalists vying to build the massive span.

Those three teams, each consisting of multiple international firms with expertise in architecture, engineering, construction, finance, law, bridge operations and more, now have several months to submit their bids. The bridge authority, the Canadian entity charged with getting the project done, will then choose a winning team about a year from now. Formal negotiations for a completed agreement should wrap up about 18 months from now.

That completed agreement will begin what is estimated to be about a 48-month construction schedule, although the time needed to build the bridge could vary depending on what the winning team decides it needs. But a four-year schedule at the end of the selection process puts the expected opening of the bridge out to about 2022.

7/8

It's been a while since any news has been posted here, so here's an article from March 2nd.

http://windsorstar.com/news/local-news/gordie-howe-bridge-wins-engineering-award

QuoteGordie Howe bridge project wins engineering award

Even though it is still in the final bidding stage to find contractor, the Gordie Howe International Bridge project has been named the winner of a 2017 Engineering Project of the Year award.

The award was presented Thursday as part of the CG/LA's Project of the Year Awards at the 10th Global Infrastructure Leadership Forum in Montreal.

The Howe bridge project will include a six-lane bridge, customs plazas and two-kilometre feeder road in Detroit to link with I-75 freeway. It was announced Wednesday the planned Windsor-Detroit border crossing will also include a 3.6-metre bike and pedestrian path.

A contractor is expected to be selected for the Howe bridge project by the end of this year with construction to begin in mid-2018. It is hoped the bridge will open some time in 2022.


"The importance of this project has been recognized by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and President Donald Trump and now, the engineering aspects of the project are recognized by industry peers,"  said Canada's Infrastructure and Communities Minister Amajeet Sohi.

"The Gordie Howe International Bridge will take its place among the engineering landmarks celebrated around the world and we appreciate the international recognition it received today."

7/8

Here's the latest news:

http://www.trucknews.com/features/gordie-howe-bridge-start-date-now-set-next-summer/

QuoteWINDSOR, Ont. – Construction of the new Gordie Howe International Bridge should get underway in the summer of 2018, and take four years to build, top officials with the Crown corporation overseeing the bridge's construction and future operations say.

Windsor Detroit Bridge Authority (WDBA) president and CEO Michael Cautillo said the consortium to build the bridge will be chosen next spring. Asked by reporters following the WDBA's annual public meeting here if this means construction could start by summer 2018, Cautillo said, "I would think so, yes."  

Originally it was thought bridge construction would have been underway by now. But the process has taken longer than expected, in part owing to the time it has taken to acquire properties — especially on the American side — and a delay in issuing requests for proposals to prospective contractors. A change in the federal government following the October 2015 election has also been considered a factor. Three international proponents are now bidding to build the bridge, which has been estimated to cost $2 billion, but which authorities say is not an official figure, and is largely dependent on the winning bid's price.

The original projected opening of the bridge in 2020 has been moved to 2022.

Officials at the public meeting announced that 60% of US properties have now been obtained for the American port of entry and connection to Interstate 75. (All properties on the Canadian side have been acquired). The chief opponent of the bridge, Detroit businessman Matty Moroun, who owns the competing Ambassador Bridge, also owns some of the remaining property that's needed.

But WDBA interim chairman Dwight Duncan was undaunted in the face of any opposition. Despite Moroun's well known litigious nature, Duncan said the Gordie Howe's construction timeline will be met.

"You can be assured that we're going to fight them every single step of the way and we will win,"  he said. "And we have confidence, not only that we will win, but that we'll have the properties in the timelines we need them by."

Duncan said that long-term, the Gordie Howe bridge will generate significant economic activity for Windsor as a center for freight consolidation and logistics.

He said the new bridge will greatly expedite crossing the border whereas the present bridge is "effectively down to one or two lanes,"  due to rehabilitation work, and "trucks are lining up again."

Pointing to the vast transportation-related industries in the western Greater Toronto Area (GTA), Duncan said Windsor could get a piece of that pie.

"I have had conversations with people who are looking at a range of opportunities,"  he said. "Think about when you drive (along) the 401 — you go through Brampton, Mississauga, and you look at all those warehouses, that's all transportation, that's all logistics, there are a lot of people working in those places."

Meanwhile, WDBA president Cautillo suggested most truckers now using Windsor's Huron Church Rd. to access the Ambassador Bridge will shift to the Gordie Howe from the already completed six-lane Herb Gray Parkway, an extension of Hwy. 401.

"We do see that this crossing is going to be of great interest to commercial traffic, so truckers, and they in all likelihood will come off of Huron Church because this crossing is going to be more convenient to cross,"  he said.

Asked if he could specify a diversion target of truck traffic, Cautillo would only say "It's going to depend on the experience that the truckers are going to have on the new crossing of travel time savings that are going to be there, trip time repeatability, and ease of getting across the border."

getemngo

Duggan: Howe Bridge agreement reached

QuoteMayor Mike Duggan announced Friday the city has reached an agreement with the state to sell land, assets and some streets for more than $48 million to be used in the project to build a second bridge between Windsor and Detroit.

...

Andy Doctoroff, special projects adviser to Snyder, noted the agreement announced Friday doesn't not complete the property acquisition process for the bridge.

"But the fact of the matter is property acquisition is on schedule, MDOT is doing an awesome job and we just have to continue doing what's necessary to acquire all of the several hundred parcels that are in the footprint,"  he said. "This (agreement), of course, is an important component of it and that's why we're thrilled about this."

He said the state has acquired about 70 percent of the parcels it needs, not including Detroit's parcels in the agreement.

Doctoroff said Friday's deal for Detroit's parcels will give the state all the land it needs in Detroit for the project, provided it's approved by the City Council. They still need land elsewhere.

Ignoring the "doesn't not" typo, I assume the bridge will also go through the city of River Rouge, and there's where all the remaining not-yet-acquired land lies?
~ Sam from Michigan

silverback1065

ontario 401 should connect to i-75.

wanderer2575

Quote from: vdeane on November 02, 2016, 02:39:44 PM
At this point I suspect the bridge will never be built and ON 401 will forever be a breezewood.

The recent extension of the 401 (Rt. Hon. Herb Gray Parkway) from its previous western terminus to the bridge site will be a $1.4 billion Breezewood if the bridge doesn't get built.  Given the never-ending legal battles on the U.S. side, I was surprised Canada built the 401 extension without the bridge being more of a certainty.

cbeach40

#209
Quote from: wanderer2575 on July 16, 2017, 06:09:52 PM
Quote from: vdeane on November 02, 2016, 02:39:44 PM
At this point I suspect the bridge will never be built and ON 401 will forever be a breezewood.

The recent extension of the 401 (Rt. Hon. Herb Gray Parkway) from its previous western terminus to the bridge site will be a $1.4 billion Breezewood if the bridge doesn't get built.  Given the never-ending legal battles on the U.S. side, I was surprised Ontario built the 401 extension without the bridge being more of a certainty.


FTFY
It's a provincial project, constructed and owned by MTO. Saying "Canada built the 401 extension" would be like saying "the United States built the QLINE."


Back on the news, another of Matty's cases has been dismissed.
http://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/politics/2017/08/29/judge-dismisses-bridge-lawsuit/105089098/
and waterrrrrrr!

JREwing78

Whaaaaaat??? Are there pigs flying over Windsor right now?  :o

Morouns get Canadian permit for second Ambassador Bridge span, say they'll build soon
http://www.freep.com/story/money/2017/09/06/moroun-canada-bridge-windsor-detroit/639069001/

thenetwork

I am going to read into it that he is planning to build a second span which will ultimately replace the original span. 

He may run a twinned Ambassador Bridge for a while after the GH Bridge is finished and opened, maybe start a "toll war"with the two other local crossings, and then when he realizes he cannot sufficiently afford to maintain both spans, the original will be torn down (after nearly 100 years of service) and the toll will start to rise again.

All and all, I think it's a good move considering that the ol' bridge is well into it's golden years.  The Moroun's may just try to promote the bridge as "The Local's Crossing", referring to commercial & non-commercial traffic going to & from Windsor specifically, while competing against the Tunnel.

Although it's a little harder to cross (with passports or similar now needed) into Canada, Windsor is still a popular town for those college-agers in the US (within an hour or two of the bridge), as the "magical age" for booze, strip clubs and casinos is still 19. 

When I went to college in Toledo, nearly every guy in my dorm who turned 19 would road trip with a group to Windsor for a night or two of fun and frivolity that they would otherwise have to wait two more years in the States. After a couple of times to the strip clubs, it got boring fast (the casinos weren't there yet).  I looked for the trips to the clubs where we could all dance and drink at instead.

<Cue Barbra Streisand's "The Way We Were">

cbeach40

One of the stipulations of the approval was the demolition of the original span.
Regardless, given its age and condition keeping it open long term is likely not financially feasible.
and waterrrrrrr!

JREwing78

I suspect Canada struck a deal with the Morouns - we'll let you build your new bridge if you quit fighting construction of our bridge in the U.S. courts. There will be no real need to keep both the new and old Ambassador spans open, particularly when the Howe is operational.

Flint1979

It looks as if it's headed straight for Zug Island which isn't in Detroit but rather River Rouge. Either that spot or where the Delray Boat Ramp in Detroit is at. Either way it'll end up at I-75.

davewiecking

Ottawa removes the CEO of the Howe Bridge project, apparently due to delays in the bidding process. Original plan was to have a contractor picked by end of 2016; now bids not likely to be required until 2018, with contractor "likely to be chosen" in late 2018.

http://windsorstar.com/news/local-news/ceo-of-howe-bridge-project-removed-from-post


Flint1979

Quote from: thenetwork on September 06, 2017, 10:19:17 PM
I am going to read into it that he is planning to build a second span which will ultimately replace the original span. 

He may run a twinned Ambassador Bridge for a while after the GH Bridge is finished and opened, maybe start a "toll war"with the two other local crossings, and then when he realizes he cannot sufficiently afford to maintain both spans, the original will be torn down (after nearly 100 years of service) and the toll will start to rise again.

All and all, I think it's a good move considering that the ol' bridge is well into it's golden years.  The Moroun's may just try to promote the bridge as "The Local's Crossing", referring to commercial & non-commercial traffic going to & from Windsor specifically, while competing against the Tunnel.

Although it's a little harder to cross (with passports or similar now needed) into Canada, Windsor is still a popular town for those college-agers in the US (within an hour or two of the bridge), as the "magical age" for booze, strip clubs and casinos is still 19. 

When I went to college in Toledo, nearly every guy in my dorm who turned 19 would road trip with a group to Windsor for a night or two of fun and frivolity that they would otherwise have to wait two more years in the States. After a couple of times to the strip clubs, it got boring fast (the casinos weren't there yet).  I looked for the trips to the clubs where we could all dance and drink at instead.

<Cue Barbra Streisand's "The Way We Were">
He's about 90 years old, he'll probably be dead before it's ever built.

abefroman329

Quote from: thenetwork on September 06, 2017, 10:19:17 PMWhen I went to college in Toledo, nearly every guy in my dorm who turned 19 would road trip with a group to Windsor for a night or two of fun and frivolity that they would otherwise have to wait two more years in the States.

It's the same story in Western New York with Niagara Falls, though if you're in Buffalo, it's a really short trip.

jp the roadgeek

Quote from: Flint1979 on November 08, 2017, 04:28:32 AM
Quote from: thenetwork on September 06, 2017, 10:19:17 PM
I am going to read into it that he is planning to build a second span which will ultimately replace the original span. 

He may run a twinned Ambassador Bridge for a while after the GH Bridge is finished and opened, maybe start a "toll war"with the two other local crossings, and then when he realizes he cannot sufficiently afford to maintain both spans, the original will be torn down (after nearly 100 years of service) and the toll will start to rise again.

All and all, I think it's a good move considering that the ol' bridge is well into it's golden years.  The Moroun's may just try to promote the bridge as "The Local's Crossing", referring to commercial & non-commercial traffic going to & from Windsor specifically, while competing against the Tunnel.

Although it's a little harder to cross (with passports or similar now needed) into Canada, Windsor is still a popular town for those college-agers in the US (within an hour or two of the bridge), as the "magical age" for booze, strip clubs and casinos is still 19. 

When I went to college in Toledo, nearly every guy in my dorm who turned 19 would road trip with a group to Windsor for a night or two of fun and frivolity that they would otherwise have to wait two more years in the States. After a couple of times to the strip clubs, it got boring fast (the casinos weren't there yet).  I looked for the trips to the clubs where we could all dance and drink at instead.

<Cue Barbra Streisand's "The Way We Were">
He's about 90 years old, he'll probably be dead before it's ever built.

Passed away in 2016, so you would be correct.
Interstates I've clinched: 97, 290 (MA), 291 (CT), 291 (MA), 293, 295 (DE-NJ-PA), 295 (RI-MA), 384, 391, 395 (CT-MA), 395 (MD), 495 (DE), 610 (LA), 684, 691, 695 (MD), 695 (NY), 795 (MD)

cbeach40

Quote from: jp the roadgeek on November 08, 2017, 10:12:41 PM
Quote from: Flint1979 on November 08, 2017, 04:28:32 AM
Quote from: thenetwork on September 06, 2017, 10:19:17 PM
I am going to read into it that he is planning to build a second span which will ultimately replace the original span. 

He may run a twinned Ambassador Bridge for a while after the GH Bridge is finished and opened, maybe start a "toll war"with the two other local crossings, and then when he realizes he cannot sufficiently afford to maintain both spans, the original will be torn down (after nearly 100 years of service) and the toll will start to rise again.

All and all, I think it's a good move considering that the ol' bridge is well into it's golden years.  The Moroun's may just try to promote the bridge as "The Local's Crossing", referring to commercial & non-commercial traffic going to & from Windsor specifically, while competing against the Tunnel.

Although it's a little harder to cross (with passports or similar now needed) into Canada, Windsor is still a popular town for those college-agers in the US (within an hour or two of the bridge), as the "magical age" for booze, strip clubs and casinos is still 19. 

When I went to college in Toledo, nearly every guy in my dorm who turned 19 would road trip with a group to Windsor for a night or two of fun and frivolity that they would otherwise have to wait two more years in the States. After a couple of times to the strip clubs, it got boring fast (the casinos weren't there yet).  I looked for the trips to the clubs where we could all dance and drink at instead.

<Cue Barbra Streisand's "The Way We Were">
He's about 90 years old, he'll probably be dead before it's ever built.

Passed away in 2016, so you would be correct.

No, Matty Moroun's still alive.
and waterrrrrrr!

Flint1979

Quote from: jp the roadgeek on November 08, 2017, 10:12:41 PM
Quote from: Flint1979 on November 08, 2017, 04:28:32 AM
Quote from: thenetwork on September 06, 2017, 10:19:17 PM
I am going to read into it that he is planning to build a second span which will ultimately replace the original span. 

He may run a twinned Ambassador Bridge for a while after the GH Bridge is finished and opened, maybe start a "toll war"with the two other local crossings, and then when he realizes he cannot sufficiently afford to maintain both spans, the original will be torn down (after nearly 100 years of service) and the toll will start to rise again.

All and all, I think it's a good move considering that the ol' bridge is well into it's golden years.  The Moroun's may just try to promote the bridge as "The Local's Crossing", referring to commercial & non-commercial traffic going to & from Windsor specifically, while competing against the Tunnel.

Although it's a little harder to cross (with passports or similar now needed) into Canada, Windsor is still a popular town for those college-agers in the US (within an hour or two of the bridge), as the "magical age" for booze, strip clubs and casinos is still 19. 

When I went to college in Toledo, nearly every guy in my dorm who turned 19 would road trip with a group to Windsor for a night or two of fun and frivolity that they would otherwise have to wait two more years in the States. After a couple of times to the strip clubs, it got boring fast (the casinos weren't there yet).  I looked for the trips to the clubs where we could all dance and drink at instead.

<Cue Barbra Streisand's "The Way We Were">
He's about 90 years old, he'll probably be dead before it's ever built.

Passed away in 2016, so you would be correct.
He's still alive trust me I'd know if he had died.

cbeach40

Windsor Star - "Bridge company has hurdles to clear before twin span can begin, city officials say"
http://windsorstar.com/news/local-news/bridge-company-has-many-hurdles-to-clear-before-twin-span-can-begin
and waterrrrrrr!

Papa Emeritus

More good news for the Howe crossing:

1. The US Court of Appeals in Washington DC denied Matty Moroun's latest appeal trying to stop the Howe crossing from being built. Matty's only remaining course of action is to petition the Supreme Court to intervene, and it's unlikely the Supreme Court would hear his case even if he did so. Here's a link to the Detroit Free Press article:

https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2018/03/06/appeals-court-detroit-bridge-ambassador-gordie-howe/400802002/

2. A $61 million contract to oversee construction of the Howe bridge has been awarded to Parsons. Parsons will award the first construction contract soon, and construction is still planned to begin later this year:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/windsor/wdba-gordie-howe-bridge-parsons-1.4564659



Flint1979

I have had enough of Matty Moroun to last me a lifetime. What a miserable human being.

Rothman

To be fair, he is simply exercising his legal rights.  Quintessential example of how privatization can go very, very wrong.
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position(s) of NYSDOT.



Opinions expressed here on belong solely to the poster and do not represent or reflect the opinions or beliefs of AARoads, its creators and/or associates.