15 June 2012
Ottawa, Ontario
The Government of Canada is committed to enhancing Canada’s economic growth and long-term prosperity. To this end, on June 15, 2012, Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced the conclusion of an agreement between Canada and the State of Michigan toward building a new publicly owned bridge crossing between Windsor, Ontario, and Detroit, Michigan, which is expected to increase trade and investment between Canada and the U.S.
The crossing agreement establishes the framework for Canada’s and Michigan’s roles and responsibilities for the construction, financing, operation and maintenance of the new international crossing.
The Detroit River International Crossing will facilitate the movement of people and goods by ensuring that there is sufficient border crossing capacity to handle projected future growth in cross border trade and traffic in the Windsor-Detroit trade corridor. It will also provide a much-needed crossing alternative at the busiest Canada-U.S. commercial border crossing and is expected to create 10,000 to 15,000 construction jobs in Ontario and Michigan.
The project includes the bridge, Canadian and U.S. inspection plazas, and an interchange with Interstate-75. Construction is expected take four to five years. The project will be funded by the Government of Canada, with the U.S. plaza being the responsibility of the U.S. government. The private sector is also expected to contribute to the project through a public-private partnership. Ontario and Canada are jointly funding the Windsor-Essex Parkway, which will connect Highway 401 to the new bridge. The total construction costs are valued at between CDN$3.5 and $4 billion. Project costs incurred by the Government of Canada will be recouped from toll revenues over a number of years.
The new inspection plazas at the bridge are being developed in consultation with the Canada Border Services Agency and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection. They will provide areas for primary and onsite secondary inspection of people and goods as well as permanent inspection equipment. The bridge will also provide for dedicated NEXUS and FAST lanes, which will substantially improve border processing capabilities.
Canada and the U.S. enjoy an economic partnership unique in the contemporary world. The two countries share the greatest bilateral trading relationship on the planet. In 2010, our bilateral trade was close to $645 billion, with more than $1.7 billion worth of goods and services crossing the Canada-U.S. border every single day.
