LANSING - State Representative Lee Gonzales (D-Flint Township) today blasted Republican State Senators for refusing to move forward on a plan that authorizes construction projects across Michigan, putting every state road project in jeopardy and blocking progress on creating and protecting tens of thousands of jobs by building a second bridge between Detroit and Windsor.
"My House colleagues and I came to the table today expecting to finish the Department of Transportation budget in time for the Sept. 30 deadline," said Gonzales, chair of the House Transportation Appropriations Subcommittee. "Instead, Senate Republicans refused to work with us to make sure that road construction projects can get done before winter and that the planned second bridge between Detroit and Windsor can proceed. These projects will come to a halt and thousands of Michigan jobs will be lost if the Senate does not decide to serve the people of Michigan rather than special interest groups."
If the Legislature does not approve the Michigan Department of Transportation budget by Sept. 30, all road projects statewide will have to shut down. The development of a public bridge between Detroit and Windsor - which is needed to improve the safety and efficiency of the flow of the $122 billion in commerce that crosses the congested Ambassador Bridge annually - will also come to a halt. Every major economic interest in Michigan, including the Big Three, supports the public bridge, which will keep just-in-time deliveries coming to Michigan's auto plants and save thousands of Michigan jobs.
The Senate refuses to budge from its plan, which would delay approval of the public bridge until after a second private bridge is built. This would effectively kill the construction of a crossing that is accountable to the public, regularly inspected and assesses reasonable tolls. In addition, Canada will not accept a privately built bridge.
"Senator Cropsey chose to use today's meeting to grandstand, comparing the public bridge to Alaska's 'Bridge to Nowhere,' which only revealed his failure to understand the situation," Gonzales said. "The 'Bridge to Nowhere' was a boondoggle - this bridge will be a boon. It will protect almost a quarter of a million Michigan jobs and stimulate our state's economic development. I will keep working with my Senate colleagues to push forward on an agreement that will put Michigan's workers first and get the job done."