By Joel Thurtell
The deadline for breaking ground on a new, government-sponsored bridge between Detroit and Windsor is little more than a month away.
Will Gov. Snyder, the US and Canadian governments make it?
Looks like a slam dunk to me.
Okay, the July 7 deadline was made up.
Pulled out of the air.
Cut from whole cloth.
But from what I read in The Detroit News and The Windsor Star, pens are being injected with ink for signing VERY SOON an agreement that will start work on the bridge.
According to Nolan Finlay of The News, the only holdup is disagreement over whether domestic or Chinese steel should be used in the New International Trade Crossing.
Once the federal procurement legality either has been adhered to or nixed by mutual agreement, ground will be broken.
But talk — and newsprint — is cheap.
I’m still tense about whether spades will turn soil by my July 7 deadline.
An ASAP start seems crucial to beating Matty Moroun, the owner of a rival bridge. Matty’s trying to pick up enough signatures to insert a proposal on the November election ballot that would, if approved, ban a new bridge.
I proposed a July 7 deadline for starting the new bridge with the idea that a start before the election would trump Matty’s ballot proposal, though I’ve argued that the feds and Canadaa could build a bridge without Michigan.
Any date before the November 6 election would have been fine with me.
Matty paid the Legislature to go away.
He subverted lawmakers with money.
Now he’s hoping to con the public by blanketing the state with ads extolling his antique Ambassador Bridge and condemning the idea of a new bridge.
The fait accompli of a groundbreaking would make Matty’s politicking irrelevant — that was my thought.
Turns out, Matty is looking more and more irrelevant.
The Michigan Constitution, according to news reports, contains a section allowing for “interlocal” agreements that don’t require legislative approval.
Matty neutralized the Legislature.
An early groundbreaking will neuter Matty.
The old alley cat is being fixed.
A greedy sociopath who just don’t matter.
Matty’s people are complaining that the NITC bridge could be using Chinese steel to build their span. As if Matty wouldn’t use Chinese steel in a minute to build his second span if the Chinese steel is cheaper than American steel. Can anyone picture Matty paying double or triple for American steel in that case? And if you believe THAT, for sure I have a bridge to sell you.