Bridge's Private Ownership Raises Concerns

In "Bridge's Private Ownership Raises Concerns," The New York Times (Davey, 10/12/2007) reported a debate over a privately owned bridge over the Detroit River between the US and Canada.

The bridge is called the Ambassador Bridge. As the busiest commercial border crossing in North America, it is owned not by either country, not by the cities of Detroit or Windsor, Detroit’s Canadian neighbor, and not by some public bridge authority. It is owned by one man, Manuel J. Moroun from Detroit suburbs, who is believed to be "making billions of dollars on that bridge.” It is predicted that the bridge would reach its capacity around 2015, and thus a new $1 billion crossing will be built there. Mr. Moroun proposes to make the new bridge himself. The offer seems tempting particularly because of the economic crisis in Michigan. However, concerns have been raised over national border security, the safety of the nation's bridge, and enforcement of relevant standards and regulations.