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Feds approve Ambassador Bridge Enhancement Project

September 18, 2017  By Government of Canada


September 18, 2017 – The Windsor-Detroit gateway is the busiest commercial land border crossing between Canada and the United States. The Government of Canada is committed to ensuring sufficient capacity to maintain an efficient trade corridor that can handle trade and traffic growth for the long-term, benefitting Canadians for generations to come.   

To that end, Minister of Transport Marc Garneau, announced earlier this month that the Government of Canada has approved the Canadian Transit Company’s application for the proposed Ambassador Bridge Enhancement Project spanning the Detroit River between Windsor, Ontario and Detroit, Michigan to replace the existing bridge. In addition to approving the Canadian Transit Company’s application, the government is moving forward expeditiously with the Gordie Howe International Bridge project.

As a key component of the Windsor-Detroit gateway, the 87-year old Ambassador Bridge is important to the economic well-being of the region, particularly to the automotive industry and for daily commuter traffic between Windsor and Detroit, and needs to be replaced. The project will see the construction of a replacement six-lane bridge as well as an expansion of the Ambassador Bridge’s associated Canada Border Services Agency facility.

Under Canada’s International Bridges and Tunnels Act, the project is subject to conditions that will ensure the efficiency, safety and security of the crossing and mitigate the impacts of the project on the local community. The conditions include the dismantling of the existing bridge when the replacement bridge is open, improving local infrastructure, creating new public green spaces, and protecting the environment and considering Indigenous interests.

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“The Government of Canada recognizes the importance of ensuring the continued flow of trade and travellers between Windsor and Detroit, one of the most important Canada-United States border crossings,” said Garneau. “The construction of the replacement Ambassador Bridge together with the Gordie Howe International Bridge project will ensure that Canadians continue to benefit from the efficient movement of people and goods at this crossing while providing infrastructure improvements for the local community.”


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