Presented by:Detroit International Bridge Company

Canadian Transit CompanyMarch 27, 2010

Ambassador Bridge

U.S plaza of the bridge Canadian plaza of the bridgeAmbassador Bridge

SOLVING BORDERCHAOS!

SOLVING BORDERCHAOS!

Ambassador Bridge Central Crossing Corridor

Ambassador Bridge Central Corridor Crossing:• International symbol - #1 international border

crossing • Accommodates more than 26% of the trade

between Canada and the United States • Constructed in 1929 with private funds• Created by reciprocal legislation to

meet the needs of commerce and trade by Canada, Great Britain and the United States

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Ambassador Bridge Central Crossing Corridor

Located in the southeast Michigan and southwest Ontario transportation corridor:• Ambassador Bridge, Blue Water Bridges, Windsor-Detroit Tunnel (3 vehicular crossings ) 2 ferry services and 2 rail tunnels all serve the same pool of commercial and passenger traffic• Existing traffic data at all vehicular crossings

confirm declining trend in border crossing traffic

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3 Vehicular Border Crossings along Corridor

Blue Water Bridge

Detroit-Windsor Tunnel

Ambassador Bridge

• located in Port Huron, MI / Sarnia , Ontario• original bridge was 4 lanes • second span was built in 1994 that created additional lanes • capacity beyond 2030

• located in Downtown Detroit, MI / Windsor, Ontario• tunnel has (1) lane both ways • backups common; limited commercial vehicles are allowed to use the tunnel

• located in Detroit, MI / Windsor, Ontario• original bridge with 4 lanes • plans for an replacement span underway• replacement span provides 2 lanes each way to accommodate FAST and NEXUS

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Ambassador Bridge Central Crossing Corridor

Located in the southeast Michigan and southwest Ontario transportation corridor:• Current economic state coupled with world recession means the downward trend in border crossing traffic is accelerating• Windsor-Detroit tunnel traffic down 50.4% since 1999 - 34.% decline in vehicles using the Ambassador Bridge corridor since 1999• 17.6% decline in traffic at the Blue Water Bridges since twinning in 2000

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Ambassador Bridge Central Crossing Corridor

Commercial and Passenger Traffic:

• 1965 – Auto Pact• 1989 – Free Trade Agreement• 1994 – NAFTA• 1994 – Windsor Casino Temporary Location• 1998 – Windsor Casino Permanent Location

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Ambassador Bridge Central Crossing Corridor

Traffic Levels:• Traffic volumes lower today than in 1999

Total Traffic Ambassador Bridge:

• 1999 – 12,348,762 • 2001 – 11,057,495 (-10.5% since 1999) • 2003 – 9,572,456 (-22.5% since 1999) • 2005 – 9,295,824 (-24.7% since 1999) • 2007 – 8,953,029 (-27.5% since 1999) • 2009 – 6,471,999 (-47.6% since 1999)

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Ambassador Bridge Central Crossing Corridor

Total Traffic Blue Water Bridges:• 1999 – 5,537,827 • 2000 – 5,967,141 • 2001 – 5,678,702 (-4.6% since 2000)• 2003 – 5,433,534 (-8.7% since 2000)• 2005 – 5,509,311 (-7.4% since 2000)• 2007 – 5,038,045 (-15.3% since 2000)• 2009 – 4,474,566 (-24.8% since 2000)

• July 1997, the second span opened for service and original span closed for renovations• November 1999, both spans operational

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Ambassador Bridge Central Crossing Corridor

Total Traffic Windsor – Detroit Tunnel:• 1999 – 9,542,121 • 2001 – 7,682,190 (-19.2% since 1999)• 2003 – 6,535,971 (-31.5% since 1999)• 2005 – 5,922,830 (-37.9% since 1999)• 2007 – 4,844,063 (-49.2% since 1999)• 2009 – 3,948,982 (-58.6% since 1999)

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Ambassador Bridge – Gateway Project

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• $230 million funded project on the U.S side of the border • Gateway project is 75% completed• Direct link of the Ambassador Bridge corridor to U.S interstate system (I-75 / I-96 / I-94)• Principle purpose of the AB Gateway Project to accommo- date future border crossing capacity needs and future second span of the Ambassador Bridge

Ambassador Bridge – Gateway Project

Ambassador Bridge Gateway Environmental Assessment:• Resulted in the issuance of three FONSIs (findings of no significant impact) • Approved in 1997 and re-evaluated in 1999 and 2004• FONSI had three objectives – one of those objectives was to accommodate the

Ambassador Bridge Second Span

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Ambassador Bridge – Detroit Plaza

• New customs plaza constructed in the U.S. doubling inspection capacity• Ambassador Bridge Gateway project makes Detroit plaza as accessible as possible• Both plazas sized to accommodate future traffic projections• Replacement span provides the resource required to continue the flow of traffic with minimal impacts on the

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Ambassador Bridge – Windsor Plaza

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• Windsor plaza project expands existing facilities and capable of accommodating Replacement Span• January 2006 – 3 new customs booths on Windsor plaza completed • 2008 – additional 6 new customs booths on Windsor plaza completed • Total of 9 additional customs booths added to the Windsor plaza

Ambassador Bridge – Replacement Span

• Creates more than 20,000 jobs over the next two decades

• 4,000 jobs within the first year• Entirely privately funded• No municipal, provincial or federal funds required• Immediate catalyst for economic growth in the Windsor-Detroit area

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Ambassador Bridge – Replacement Span

• Replacement of eighty (80) year old structure• Use of existing roadways and new highway connections (Ambassador Bridge Gateway Project) • Cable-stayed design• No piers in the Detroit River

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Ambassador Bridge – Replacement Span

Provides long-term solution for southeast Michigan and southwest Ontario transportation corridor:

• Significant environmentally sustainable feature includes $60 million water reclama- tion and treatment facility• Installation of a model intelligent transportation system to automate customs, toll collecting and other processes to facilitate international trade, as requested by the NAFTA

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Detroit River International Crossing

Failed to look take into consideration existing and expanded capacity:• Blue Water Bridge plaza improvements• Detroit-Windsor tunnel plaza improvements• Windsor Truck Ferry improvements• Detroit Intermodal Freight Terminal • CP rail tunnel expansion to accommodate

international containers

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Detroit River International Crossing

Declining traffic levels / economic climate:• DRIC relied on outdated traffic levels and declining

trend throughout the corridor• US Midwest manufacturing industry has fallen

into a depression• Effects of NAFTA absorbed• Detroit has three casinos with additional casinos

scheduled for construction in Ohio• 2 of 3 automobile

manufacturers went into bankruptcy

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Detroit River International Crossing

Redundancy not proper consideration:• Location of DRIC bridge in Central Crossing

Corridor in proximity to the Ambassador Bridge does not create redundancy

(Department of State conclusion)• Any incident impacting the Ambassador Bridge would impact the DRIC bridge

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Detroit River International Crossing

Failure to consider “do nothing” alternative:• Ambassador Bridge Gateway Project part of

existing infrastructure and represents “do nothing” alternative

• Environmental and community impacts of DRIC hidden from public scrutiny

• Information released by DRIC team indicating concern about the “ultimate cost of a new bridge, community disruption and how quickly it can be completed.”

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Detroit River International Crossing

Current infrastructure exceeds capacity needs:• 2006 DRIC team acknowledges that traffic was decreasing to such an extent that a new crossing was no longer required• Border delays attributed to customs’ requirements and

heightened security post 9/11• Failure of customs to man all existing inspection booths • At any one time only ½ of the customs’ booths provided at the Ambassador Bridge are operational due to lack of

customs’ officers

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Detroit River International Crossing

Current infrastructure exceeds capacity needs:• Legislative changes for customs processing at

land border crossings• Legislative changes will result in decreased

crossing times for commercial shipments• NEXUS / FAST pre-approved travelers• Changes to border processing by Canadian and US customs’ agencies not taken into account

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Detroit River International Crossing

Threatened or Endangered Species:• DRIC bridge will negatively impact vegetation and numerous species (special concern, endangered and/or threatened) • No consideration of precautionary principle in a manner that protects the environment and human health and prevents environmental

degradation and loss of Ontario’s biological diversity

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Detroit River International Crossing

Environmental Effects outside of Canada:• US DRIC plaza and bridge located in Delray

community of Detroit• Delray is a low-income, low-political influence, minority neighbourhood• Delray population is 56% Hispanic and 86%

minority• DRIC bridge coupled with the DIFT results in

destruction of Delray

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Detroit River International Crossing

Predetermined Conclusion:• Lands purchased for DRIC plaza five months

prior to Federal Screening Report being released for comment

• Failure to incorporate mitigation strategies• Planning / Needs Feasibility Study completed outside of the public participation process• Neglected to follow terms of reference – only differences between various

alternatives assessed7

Ambassador Bridge – Replacement Span

• Use of existing infrastructure resulting in negligible to no impacts on natural environment

• All technical studies and information submitted to the federal government for review and approval in the form of an Environmental Impact Statement

• Studies and detailed information available at www.ambassadorbridge.com or the Canadian Environmental Assessment Registry at http://www.ceaa.gc.ca/050/index_e.cfm

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Questions & Answers

THANK – YOU Paula Lombardi

plombardi@ambassadorbridge.com