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Date: Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Contact: Matthew Morgan – 202-226-5543
Conyers and All House Democratic Michigan Members Urge Construction of New International Bridge
(Washington D.C). – Today, Representative John Conyers, Jr. (D-M14.) and Representatives Hansen Clarke (D-M13), John Dingell (D-M15), Dale Kildee (D-M05), Sander Levin (D-M12), and Gary Peters (D-M09) sent a letter to Speaker of the Michigan House Bolger, Michigan House Minority Leader Hammel, Michigan Senate Majority Leader Richardville, and Michigan Senate Minority Leader Whitmer urging the Michigan legislature to prioritize the passage of legislation authorizing the construction of the New International Trade Crossing (NITC) project early in the 2012 legislative session.
The NITC project will create a world-class international bridge and secure a transportation corridor with Michigan’s largest trading partner, Canada. It will create 10,000 new construction jobs for Michigan workers and generate more than $2 billion in federal matching highway funds for Michigan roads.
The letter is attached as a pdf and the text follows below:
January 18, 2012
The Honorable Randy Richardville
Majority Leader
Michigan Senate
P.O. Box 30036
Lansing, MI 48909
The Honorable Gretchen Whitmer
Minority Leader
Michigan Senate
P.O. Box 30036
Lansing, MI 48909
Dear Speaker Bolger and Leaders Richarville, Whitmer, and Hammel:
As you prepare for the 2012 session of the Michigan Legislature, we write to urge you to prioritize the passage of legislation that will allow work to begin on the New International Trade Crossing (NITC) project. Michigan desperately needs the 10,000 construction jobs and $2 billion in federal matching highway funds that would be immediately provided by this project. Additionally, the NITC will strengthen our nation’s bond with Canada – Michigan’s largest trading partner – by providing a secure alternative route to Ontario and significantly increasing the capacity for increased trade between our two countries.
Constructing a second bridge at the Detroit-Windsor crossing will help grow the 237,000 Michigan jobs that depend on trade with Canada. The NITC would provide six new lanes, bringing the total to ten between Detroit and Windsor, while also directly connecting 1-75 to Highway 401. These additional lanes will help prevent the delays that cost Michigan’s shippers and manufacturers millions of dollars each year. Chrysler estimates that current delays at the Detroit-Windsor crossing add more than $600 to the average car manufactured in our region. Without a second bridge, these delays will likely grow worse, with truck traffic across the border expected to double by 2035.
The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has stated that Canada’s $550 million investment in the crossing’s customs plaza will allow Michigan to receive nearly $2 billion in matching for road construction projects across the state. If the NITC project is approved early in the 2012 legislative session, construction projects across the state could begin putting thousands of Michiganders back to work this year fixing our state’s highway infrastructure and speeding our state’s economic recovery.
We believe the case for moving forward with the NITC project is clear. The NITC project poses no fiscal risk to the state, as the cost of this $1.3 billion dollar investment in Michigan will be borne completely by private investors and the U.S. and Canadian governments. Further, should the tolls collected from the bridge fall short of the dollars needed to repay Canadian or private investors, the Canadian government has agreed to cover any revenue short fall. In short, this project is no risk, all reward for Michigan taxpayers.
Construction of the NITC will ensure that Michigan keeps its edge and continues to be a leading conduit for the $62 billion in annual bilateral trade between the United States and Canada. We urge you to pass authorizing legislation as soon as possible so that we can begin to transition the Detroit-Windsor crossing into a modern, multi-modal system that creates jobs in Michigan and guarantees safe, secure, and efficient commerce across our northern border.
Sincerely,
John Conyers, Jr.
MEMBER OF CONGRESS
John D. Dingell
MEMBER OF CONGRESS
Sander Levin
MEMBER OF CONGRESS
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