WINDSOR, Ontario – The deal to build a new bridge connecting Detroit and Windsor, Ontario, is signed and sealed, and now the question for U.S. and Canadian motorists and commercial traffic interests is whether Governor Rick Snyder and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper can deliver despite continued opposition from the owners of the nearby Ambassador Bridge.

Months of top-secret talks between the Michigan and Canadian governments about how to fashion a deal without the blessing of the Michigan Legislature, which has sided with the Moroun family, owners of the Ambassador, culminated Friday as Snyder and Canadian Transport Minister Dennis Lebel signed an agreement setting up an International Authority to take charge of the project and spelling out nearly 60 pages of details.

“Today is an important milestone, but we have much work to be done. We have permits to get, suppliers to build bridges, people to work hard,” Snyder told dignitaries and reporters jammed into a Windsor hotel ballroom. “We can have another celebration in just a few years, and that celebration is when we stand on a span and watch that first truck go across to say we’re reinventing our economy and working on winning together in partnership.”

Now comes the expected, inevitable challenges from the Morouns, who have challenged any but their proposed second span next to the Ambassador Bridge which would continue their corporate dominance over commercial traffic at the busiest crossing along the U.S.-Canada border. The Morouns’ to build the second Ambassador, has faced Canada balking at concerns about the impact on traffic congestion in Windsor neighborhoods and dissatisfaction with the traffic and lights along the road that links the Ambassador to Highway 401, the most important freeway in the country.

The Morouns will almost surely challenge the agreement in court (in previous months they and corporate executives of the Detroit International Bridge Company have said they will fight to protect their company) and they are funding a ballot drive to put a proposal before Michigan voters in November that would amend the Constitution to require statewide voter approval of any international border crossings not in place before January 1.

“At long last, we welcome Governor Snyder out into the public debate. Whether a government bridge will ever be built, it is the PEOPLE who should decide,” said Mickey Blashfield, director of The People Should Decide, which is leading the ballot campaign.

Snyder and Harper appeared undeterred and confident in their legal position.

“We anticipate some battles, but the need for what we’re doing is overwhelming. The presence here of so many people from the business community and the broader population on both sides of the river I think indicates the overwhelming public interest there is in this particular project,” Harper said. “We should make no mistakes, whatever battles lie ahead, this bridge is going to be done.”

Snyder and others said they believe with the signing of the agreement Friday and the expected granting of a presidential permit from President Barack Obama before November, the ballot initiative, even if it makes the ballot and passes, will mean nothing.

“As a practical matter, as we continue to move forward, particularly if the presidential permit is issued before the election, it could very well be what might be considered moot,” he said of the proposal.

Should the Morouns or anyone else file suit against the agreement, Snyder said the International Authority created under the agreement would handle the legal defense, not Michigan government attorneys. And he voiced confidence that the agreement would withstand legal review.

“If you look at our track record in terms of people suing us, we’ve done very well,” he said. “We’ve typically prevailed, it just adds more cost and expense. It’s not a value add for anyone.”

The agreement, as expected, is structured as an interlocal agreement involving Canada, the Michigan Department of Transportation and the Michigan Strategic Fund. It is formally known as the “Crossing Agreement” and sets up an International Authority, made up of three appointees from Canada and three from Michigan. That authority will oversee the competitive procurement process to select the concessionaire or concessionaires in charge of designing, building, operating and maintaining the bridge.

Snyder had hoped to win approval for Michigan’s participation in such an authority from the Legislature through SB 410 , but majority Republicans recoiled at the project with many saying it would be better to let the Morouns build their second span.

Friday, Snyder was not looking back.

“In fact, we didn’t believe we needed to go to the Legislature. It wasn’t out of offense; it was because we’re not asking for an appropriation. We’re not asking for taxpayer money,” he said. “They didn’t want to work on the project so we thought it appropriate to move ahead because there’s no time to wait.”

Michigan’s Constitution and the Urban Cooperation Act specifically provide for intergovernmental agreements with Canada and that was the legal basis for Michigan’s participation.

Friday’s ceremony completed what has been a long, winding road to at least launch the project. As long ago as 2001, U.S. and Canadian officials began discussing border crossing needs and by 2004, the push for what became known as the Detroit River International Crossing began in earnest.

Various sites were considered, even one crossing through Grosse Ile, but ultimately a site two miles downriver from the Ambassador was seen as the best option. It allowed for freeway-to-freeway access on both sides of the border and would be more cost effective because the width of the river was narrowest there.

Then-Governor Jennifer Granholm threw her support to the project and inked a deal with Canada to have it front the cost of Michigan’s share of the project – $550 million. The Democrat-led House passed legislation to authorize the bridge, but the Republican Senate blocked it and later held a token vote on whether to discharge the bill from a committee that predictably failed.

Snyder reinvigorated the project by surprising everyone in his 2011 State of the State address with his declaration of support and announcement that the U.S. government would agree to let Michigan count the $550 million from Canada toward the state’s federal road funding match. After the bill to authorize Michigan’s participation died in a Senate committee, his administration began months of work with the Canadian and U.S. governments to hammer out a deal that did not need legislative approval because no Michigan money would be involved.

A Canadian reporter asked Harper Friday about Canada paying Michigan’s share.

“The fact of the matter is this: the revenues generated from this project will pay for this project,” he said, referring to the toll revenues that will cover the costs. “The money we lend upfront, we have supreme confidence that this will be the best investment the government of Canada ever makes in the Canadian-American economy.”

Snyder profusely thanked the Canadian government “for your generosity and thoughtfulness in this project.”

For months, Snyder would be asked about the status of the bridge. Usually, all he would offer is that the bridge should be built, but refrain from discussing the state of the negotiations with Canada.

“It was a great team effort,” Snyder said Friday. “It was working with the government of Canada and the U.S. federal government, in particular, working with our team, and the teams worked well together. But if you look at all the issues, it’s a significant project. So it did take some time, but the dialogue was very constructive and I feel very good about this agreement.”

Lt. Governor Brian Calley was in the middle of much of the work.

“There are a