"Access Road Decision Shows DRIC is Working," says OTA President
TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - Aug. 14, 2007) - Ontario Trucking Association President David Bradley welcomed today's announcement by the Detroit River International Crossing (DRIC) study team of a recommended access route leading to new bridge crossing from Windsor to Detroit. The recommendation is for the creation of a below grade parkway from Howard Avenue to E.C. Row Expressway with a number of short tunnels which will facilitate the creation of trails for pedestrians, cyclists and wildlife. This would be the main link to the new bridge whose exact location is still to be determined later this fall.
Bradley reacted to the announcement saying, "The recommendation announced today shows that the DRIC process is working".
"While this is just one small step forward in a long and complex process, today's announcement does give me some hope that at the end of the day the DRIC process will find a solution to the Windsor-Detroit border crossing problem that addresses the concerns of the local community as well as meeting the needs of the manufacturers and exporters on both sides of the border and the trucks that carry their goods."
Bradley went on to say that, "The border crossing between Windsor and Detroit is the vital economic link between southern Ontario and Michigan and the broader United States. The Windsor-Detroit Corridor accounts for 28 per cent of Canada-U.S. merchandise trade. The communities on both sides of the Detroit River in south-western Ontario and south-eastern Michigan are really one economic community built on an integrated manufacturing process that takes advantage of the strengths of both sides of the border. But the economic success of this region is dependant on ensuring that the border remains a political dividing line, not an economic one. It is dependant on the border operating smoothly and efficiently."
"In order to ensure that this critical economic artery continues to support economic prosperity on both sides of the river, we need to build a second crossing that will eliminate the need for trucks to travel on city streets, that will provide redundancy for the existing crossings in case of an emergency, that will provide added capacity to support future economic growth, and that will reduce environmental impacts by eliminating the long queues at the border which cause trucks to burn more fuel idling, starting and stopping."
He concluded by saying, "While today's announcement about the access route is an important step forward, it is vital that the DRIC study team and politicians on both sides of the border get on with the job of deciding on where to locate the bridge and plaza, and to begin construction as soon as possible. The best case is that a new crossing won't be ready until 2013, but to make that target we will need continued vision, commitment, and political will on both sides of the border. All along we've been told that DRIC would produce a final recommendation for the entire project in 2007. With the end of the year now just over the horizon, the clock is ticking. Let's hope this is one deadline our governments will meet and that once the preferred project is announced that the politicians from all levels of government accept the report's recommendation and get on with the job of building it. We'll be watching with anticipation."
For more information, please contact
Ontario Trucking Association
Rebecka Torn
Manager, Communications
(416) 249-7401 x 224
1-866-713-4188 (FAX)
Email:
rebecka.torn@ontruck.org
Website:
The Ontario Trucking Association (OTA) was founded in 1926 
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