Michigan Panel Gives Thumbs Down to New Bridge

CHICAGO — In a closely watched first vote, a Michigan Senate subcommittee Thursday voted down legislation advancing a high-profile plan to build a publicly financed bridge between Detroit and Canada.

The Senate Economic Development Committee, made up of five Republicans and two Democrats, defeated the measure after months of hearings. Three GOP members voted against it and two voted for it, while the Democrats abstained, complaining that the bill did not protect Detroit residents who would be affected by the construction.

It’s uncertain whether the legislation will be taken up by a different Senate committee.

Dubbed the New International Trade Crossing, the proposed trade bridge is the state Legislature’s hottest debate. The project would cost roughly $4 billion, about half of which would be financed with revenue debt issued by a new bond-issuing authority. It is a partnership between the governments of Michigan; Windsor, Ontario; Canada and the United States.

Most Michigan Republicans have long opposed the plan, though that started to change earlier this year when new GOP Gov. Rick Sndyer became the bridge’s biggest supporter.

Critics point out that the owner of the Ambassador Bridge, located two miles upriver from the proposed public bridge, is in the midst of building his own replacement span. Manual “Matty” Maroun has long battled the government plan, contributing to many politicians’ coffers and running expensive advertising campaigns.

“We applaud the committee for its efforts in acting as a jury in hearing all of the facts,” Maroun’s son said in a statement released yesterday after the vote. “Since 2006, when the initial effort to build this bridge began, the facts have proven it to be unjustified and unneeded.”

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