MDOT Opens Gateway Project Truck Road
DETROIT (WWJ) - The Michigan Department of Transportation is holding a ceremony to signify the opening of a new part of the I-75 Gateway Project Tuesday, much to the delight of residents who are anxious to stop seeing commercial trucks rumble through their neighborhood.
WWJ's Ron Dewey reports the two lane truck road will take all inbound truck traffic from Canada directly onto ramps to I-75 and I-96, eliminating that truck traffic from using the local streets.
MDOT says the dedicated truck road officially opened on Monday, ahead of schedule.
While residents are rejoicing, Governor Rick Snyder is staying pretty mum about the whole thing.
After announcing his intentions at last year's State of the State Address and facing subsequent opposition from lawmakers and Ambassador Bridge Owner Matty Moroun, the governor is no longer showing his hand in this game of bridge.
"We're just going to continue to work on the bridge project and continue to talk to legislators and we're going to hopefully get something done this year," said Snyder.
The Gov. is also supposedly working with Canada on a direct deal for a second bridge that would detour Lansing, a deal that would also be presumably bullet-proof in court from any legal challenge.
"There is a way for Gov. Rick Snyder to go around the legislature to do a deal with Canada to build that bridge between Detroit and Windsor. It's called, and it's in the constitution, an inter-local agreement. The language is right there that he can make a deal with Canada," said WWJ Lansing Bureau Chief Tim Skubick.
Ken Sikkema, the Senate Republican Leader years ago, had this happen to him in the legislature with another governor.
"Governors historically, and I'm thinking primarily of Gov. Engler, have used this when all else fails and I would say they've used this with some success," said Sikkema.
A judge in March ordered the company that controls the international crossing to surrender control of its portion of the Gateway Project to MDOT. The $230 million project is projected to be completed in October.
MORE: Progress On Gateway Project; But More Delays For Motorists
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