While the jury is still out regarding the tolling of the Brent Spence Bridge here in the Cincinnati region, another bridge project in Detroit is moving forward with no cost to the local tax base. The federal government recently gave the state of Michigan approval to build the New International Trade Crossing Bridge, a $3.5 billion project that will be entirely funded by Canada. However; the project is not without complications as the new bridge will displace minority property owners and compete with another privately funded bridge up stream. More from NextCity:
Michigan technically isn’t paying for the land or anything having to do with the construction of the bridge. According to the June 2012 Crossing Agreement signed by Snyder and Canadian Transport Minister Denis Lebel, Canada has agreed to cover Michigan’s portion of the bill, amounting to roughly $550 million, a number that the U.S. Department of Transportation will match.
Essentially, Michigan gets a free bridge.
