IN 1929 Joseph Bower built what was then the world’s longest suspension bridge between Detroit, Michigan, and Windsor, Ontario. He called it the Ambassador Bridge to symbolise Canadian-American friendship. But there is nothing neighbourly about the battle between Manuel Moroun, who bought the bridge in 1979, and Canada’s government, which wants a rival span built 2km (1.2 miles) away.
The Ambassador Bridge is a glaring bottleneck. More than 10,000 lorries, making up 28% of all goods trade between Canada and America, cross it every day. In Windsor, the bridge disgorges traffic into narrow city streets. “You can drive from Montreal to Miami and only hit 17 stoplights,” an old truckers’ joke goes. “And all 17 are in Windsor, Ontario.” Even a brief bridge closure would be hugely disruptive.
In 2005 Canada unveiled plans for a new bridge named after Gordie Howe, a Canadian ice-hockey hero who played for the Detroit Red Wings. It said the project would...Continue reading
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