LANSING – Michigan’s four former governors Thursday turned up the heat on the Legislature by jointly announcing their support of a new international trade crossing to connect Detroit to Windsor, Ontario.
Governor Rick Snyder announced his support for plans to build a second bridge over the Detroit River in his State of the State address last week. Snyder said he had secured an agreement with the federal government to allow Michigan to count $550 million Canada has offered to invest in the project toward Michigan?s federal match for road funds. This development will ease the burden on the budget and ensure the state will have funds for statewide road repairs and infrastructure improvements in future years.
?This new bridge means not only immediate jobs and long-term economic growth for southeast Michigan, but for the entire state,? said former Gov. William Milliken. ?Michigan?s long-time partnership with Canada is one of our state?s most important economic assets, and this crossing builds and strengthens it.?
In 2009, Michigan did roughly $44 billion dollars in trade with Canada. More than 237,000 Michigan jobs are directly connected to trade with Canada. One out of every eight jobs in Detroit is in the export industry and in Grand Rapids it is one out of every seven.
?This project secures our economic future and, in the short-term, will employ thousands of people who need work and can stimulate our economy,? said former Gov. James Blanchard. ?It?s manufacturing, it?s agriculture, it?s food processing, it?s high-tech, it?s tourism, it?s rebuilding the neighborhoods and the community of southwest Detroit, it?s Michigan?s future, and it?s now!?
The construction portion of the project will create an estimated 10,000 jobs for Michigan workers and support an additional 25,000 Michigan jobs once construction is complete.
?We need a new international trade crossing,? former Gov. John Engler. ?It will open trade and open markets, which is exactly what Michigan needs right now. We have to access these global markets.?
“Michigan job providers say they need the crossing, Michigan workers want the jobs it will create, and building the bridge will solidify good relations with our neighbors in Canada,” said former Gov. Jennifer Granholm. “Universal support for the bridge should make final approval of this project a no-brainer for state lawmakers.”
Half of all daily trade between the United States and Canada travels through the Michigan-Ontario border and nearly 60 percent of all Michigan exports go to or through Canada.
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