Chrysler CEO, Sergio Marchionne, is hailing a commitment to construct another bridge between Detroit and Windsor to be known as the New International Trade Crossing.
Lobby groups, including the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI), as well as automakers, have campaigned for the new crossing for five years, with the bridge providing an alternative route for the corridor that carries a quarter of all goods traded between the US and Canada each year.
Go deeper with GlobalData
Discover B2B Marketing That Performs
Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.
“Chrysler Group applauds the strong leadership US and Canadian government officials have provided for the proposed New International Trade Crossing,” said Marchionne.
“A new crossing represents a tremendous opportunity to further strengthen the economies of the US and Canada, the future of our company and many other businesses. Undoubtedly, the new crossing will provide a secure, world-class trade and transportation infrastructure for the busiest trade corridor in the US.”
The AISI also lauded the agreement for the new bridge between Detroit and Windsor, a development it says it has aggressively advocated for the past few years.
“This is a tremendously positive development and a breakthrough to develop significant new infrastructure to support essential cross-border trade,” said AISI president and CEO Thomas Gibson. “This historic agreement will streamline and improve automotive and other cross-border supply chains in each country, which require a seamless flow of goods in order to meet just-in-time delivery schedules. It will alleviate congestion at the US/Canada border and ensure supplies reach American manufacturers in a timely and efficient manner.
“Our North American steel industry, as well as the two governments, auto makers and other industries, have insisted for years another crossing is required at Windsor-Detroit to eliminate long line-ups of trucks leading up to the bridge and causing costly delays. We are particularly pleased the project will require all steel and other construction materials must be of either US or Canadian origin, a provision that will ensure the bridge is constructed from quality materials while supporting high-value US and Canadian jobs.”
The bridge is expected to take around ten years to build, with reports indicating it could cost around US$950m.
Chrysler says it moves more than 1,300 component shipments, 2,000 cars and trucks and makes more than 1,600 customs entries at the trade crossing every day.
