Earlier this week, plans for a new double-stack compatible rail tunnel between Detroit and Windsor were moving forward; now, the plans for a new bridge between the two cities is moving to the bidding stage, promising to make trucking logistics a bit easier in the years to come. Transport Canada and the Michigan DOT are asking would-be builders to submit a proposal of interest by St. Patrick’s Day.
The large amount of traffic flowing between Michigan and Ontario has been one of the unsung success stories of NAFTA; parts move freely across the boarder, but a lack of space to handle the amount of trucking loads going through the Ambassador Bridge and Windsor Tunnel made the new bridge a priority for both countries.
The new Detroit River International Crossing project would be a bit south of the Ambassador Bridge; connections to I-75 will be part of the project on the US side, but a connector project to hook the DRIC to Ontario’s main 401 highway are being done separately.
The DRIC will make it easier to provide trucking services between Ontario and points in the US. With a new facility that is designed with NAFTA levels of trade in mind, trucks should be able to get through customs and across the border much faster than at present. That should translate into lower costs to ship freight to and from Ontario and enable car companies to have a more reliable flow of parts, allowing them to find-tune their just-in-time inventory systems.
Source: http://www.todaystrucking.com/news.cfm?intDocID=23229
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