via BBC News
A new bridge between the US city of Detroit and Windsor, Ontario, in Canada will be built despite opposition from the owner of an aging span already linking the two cities, officials say.
The governor of Michigan and Canadian officials announced the $2.2bn project in Detroit on Friday.
The existing 84-year-old Ambassador Bridge is the busiest commercial link between the two countries.
Its owner has sought for years to block construction of a new bridge.
Michigan Governor Rick Snyder celebrated the project at an event in Detroit, calling the bridge ” a project where everyone will win”, the Detroit Free Press reported.
“This is more than a bridge to me,” he said. “It’s about jobs and the future of this state.”
He estimated construction would create 12,000 direct jobs and as many as 31,000 indirect new jobs.
Ambassador Bridge owner Manuel Moroun, who says he stands to lose toll revenues, has sued over the proposal, arguing his company has exclusive rights over border crossings in the area.
He also backed an effort to pass an amendment to the Michigan constitution requiring a statewide vote on any new border crossing. The amendment failed last November.
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Article courtesy bbc.co.uk
