DETROIT, Oct. 20 (UPI) -- The billionaire owner of the Ambassador Bridge linking Detroit and Windsor, Ontario, has big plans for the span.
Manuel Moroun is proposing a huge expansion of U.S. Customs inspection facilities, plus new retail stores and other development that could create up to 3,000 jobs and speed traffic between the United States and Canada, the Detroit Free Press reported Thursday.
To get the plan started, Ambassador Port Co. officials propose paying Detroit $30 million to extend the lease on the tunnel and buy about 25 acres of land near the bridge.
"This is a big bet that Detroit's going to continue to be an international hub," said Dan Stamper, president of Ambassador Port and the Detroit International Bridge Co., which owns and operates the bridge. "Not everybody's rushing to Detroit to do things like this. This is good for the city, this is jobs."
He also said taking booths and inspections away from the bridge and tunnel entrances would cut crossing times, delaying the need for another bridge span or tunnel expansion 20 or 25 years.
Stamper said about 100 new customs booths would be built at the International Center, greatly boosting efficiency at the Detroit border crossing.
