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Through our experiences with local officials and the public, we have compiled a list of Frequently Asked Questions. This list is dynamic and changes as more questions are asked. Click on a question below to view our response. Should you have any further questions, please contact us.
We have also compiled a list of questions we have received from the website. Click here to read Your FAQs.
1. Who is the Ambassador Niagara Signature Bridge Group?
The Ambassador Niagara Signature Bridge Group (Ambassador Niagara) is a subsidiary of The Detroit International Bridge Company (DIBC) and the Canadian Transit Company, which own and operate the Ambassador Bridge, connecting Detroit, Michigan and Windsor, Ontario. The Ambassador Bridge is North America’s busiest border crossing.
The Detroit International Bridge and Canadian Transit Companies are holdings of Central Transport Inc., a trucking company owned by Detroit native Manuel J. “Matty” Moroun. Central Transport, formerly the Central Cartage Company of Detroit, purchased the bridge in 1979.
Click on the links below to learn more about traffic counts at Detroit’s Ambassador Bridge, in comparison to other bridges within the larger Great Lakes Region.
Learn more about Ambassador at www.ambassadorbridge.com.
As the owners and operators of
the thriving Ambassador Bridge, we were invited to the region in 1999 at
the request of the Public Consensus Review Panel, a citizen review panel
investigating the feasibility of an additional international crossing. After a
preliminary investigation, we determined that this region houses a potentially
successful trade corridor.
Strengthening
this corridor by building a bridge presents a business opportunity that would
benefit both our company and the communities we would serve within the region.
3. Why do we need another bridge?
The primary purpose of the proposed project is to provide improved border crossing operations for truck related freight shipments between the US and Canada in the Niagara River Region. It will alleviate the serious adverse impacts of the Peace Bridge crossing which are now imposed on a diverse residential community while meeting any future transportation demands.
The Proposed Bridge design and plaza location are safer and better suited for modern commercial traffic. The Peace Bridge is outdated and modernization will be difficult. It is approximately 80 years old and needs to be re-decked. The capacity limitations of the Peace Bridge are a major impediment to the growth of foreign commerce in the Buffalo-Niagara region and beyond.
This project will establish an additional international border crossing that will provide a state-of-the-art transportation system linking the Queen Elizabeth Way (“QEW”) in Canada with the Interstate Highway System in the US. The new bridge and connecting highway system will comply with the most up-to-date, modern transportation standards on both sides of the border, including widely accepted standards set forth by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) and the Canadian Standards Association (CSA). The project will also be designed in accordance with best management and engineering practices. Traffic entering the U.S. from the Peace Bridge must travel through local neighborhoods to connect to the interstate system.
A new commercial traffic border crossing will provide a higher level-of-service to those businesses engaging in international trade, while potentially attracting new businesses and jobs to the Buffalo and Fort Erie communities. The new plazas will incorporate state-of-the-art systems, such as the Free and Secure Trade program (FAST) and Truck Stop Electrification facilities, which will improve security and decrease idling time of trucks awaiting inspection.
Additionally, the Proposed Bridge fits within the environment of the surrounding area. The project will facilitate the clean up of an existing brownfield district that currently serves as a catalyst for neighborhood blight. The project, when complete, will remove sources of pollution that are contributing to the degradation of water quality, as well as the general quality of life. Unlike the proposed Peace Bridge Capacity Expansion Project, which primarily focuses in plaza expansion at the expense of residential land-use, it is possible to construct this project without taking any existing residences. Moreover, truck traffic could be diverted away from the Peace Bridge neighborhood and Downtown Buffalo.
Additionally, the ANSBG Project provides real opportunities for intermodal connections, address long-term transportation infrastructure needs, provide direct and indirect economic benefits to the local and national community, and improve regional transportation network. The addition of another international crossing provides the redundancy needed to ensure the uninterrupted movement of traffic at the international border if another bridge is taken out of service. Conversely, congestion has historically been a problem at the Peace Bridge. The bridge is currently at capacity and unable to accommodate significant future traffic growth. The current bridge crossing has become a border “chokepoint” that restricts the movement of traffic, harms tourism, delays the shipment of goods and materials, including cargoes needed for “just-in-time” inventories, and adds considerable air and noise pollution to the surrounding residential neighborhoods.
The establishment of a new commercial-oriented crossing would allow the Peace Bridge to fulfill its original purpose as a signature gateway for the City of Buffalo and the Town of Fort Erie.
4. Has a corridor study been completed?
Yes, we completed a corridor
study between 1999 and 2001 that included several corridors on Grand Island, a
corridor near Strawberry Island, the International Railroad Corridor and the
Peace Bridge Corridor. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility
of all potential corridors against the criteria we presented to the public in
November of 1999 at a meeting of the Public Consensus Review Panel. The
criteria used to evaluate the corridors included Costs, Schedule, Environmental
Impacts, Economic Impacts, Functionality and Aesthetics.
In consideration of these criteria, the
International Railroad Corridor outranked all other corridors.
The chart below illustrates the results of this ranking.
5. Why did you choose the International Railroad Corridor?
This corridor ranked the
highest among all of the corridors evaluated and enjoys numerous advantages
that cannot be matched in other corridors.
Beginning with the construction of the International Railroad
Bridge in 1873, this industrial corridor has functioned as an
international trade route for well over a century. With abundant property
available in the corridor, a state-of-the-art plaza can be built to service any
operating scenario. Additionally, numerous intermodal opportunities exist that will allow synergies
between truck and rail trade. More than 45 acres of property, located
entirely on brownfields, surplus rail property and other industrial sites, are available for
plazas in the United States and over 100 acres are available in Canada. No other
corridor offers as much flexibility in plaza design. This flexibility will facilitate the construction
of a world-class facility that meets all of the needs of bridge users and
United States and Canadian governments.
Both the interchange and the I-190 are capable of supporting the traffic volumes anticipated.
The capacity will be well within acceptable limits for more than 25 years, without the need
for additional modifications, according to the Greater Buffalo Niagara
Regional Transportation’s 2025 Long Range Plan, Figure 12-2B.
Because a high
percentage of trade traffic occurs during off-peak hours and will flow in the
opposite direction of peak traffic, the additional traffic generated by the
bridge will not impinge upon this artery’s maximum capacity. To facilitate ease
of use by both motorists and truckers within this artery, electronic messages
will be displayed in the plaza to display on the most efficient route
available.
7. How will this project benefit my community?
The project provides numerous benefits to people of the region, including:
8. How will the project affect air quality?
The microscale modeling performed for CO and PM2.5 for both the build and no-build alternatives for the International Bridge predicted that the proposed U.S. Plaza would have a minor future impact on the overall local air quality. Additionally, predicted concentrations at all sensitive receptors were determined to be significantly lower than the calculated or monitored CO or PM2.5 background concentrations that were added into the modeled predictions for the area. The emissions differences between the nobuild and build alternative are less than the NYSDOT PM2.5 Potential Significant Impact Thresholds. Further, none of the sensitive receptors predicted an exceedance of either the 1-hour or 8-hour CO NAAQS, or the 24-hour or annual PM2.5 NAAQS. Based on the microscale modeling results, the build alternative for the ANSBG Project is expected to remain in future compliance with New York State's air quality requirements and the National Ambient Air Quality Standards.
9. How much progress has Ambassador Niagara made in the Environmental Review Process?
We have begun the Environmental Assessment and are on schedule. To date we have:
A great start has been made in the realization of
this opportunity to fully develop this second
crossing, but several items still remain to be
accomplished, including completing the required
land acquisitions, continuing to gain public support
for a second crossing, completing the environmental
study & obtaining the required permits, and
constructing the project.
We are rapidly moving forward with our plan to
construct a new bridge that will link Fort Erie, Ontario with Buffalo, New
York. This visionary project includes the construction of both an elegant span,
traversing the waters of the Niagara River and the Black Rock Canal, and state-of-the-art inspection plazas, which will insure the efficient flow of cross
border traffic and trade. The project also includes construction of the
essential transportation infrastructure that is needed to insure that this border
crossing functions as a key connection between the transportation systems of
the United States and Canada.
10. How much will the project cost?
We have completed a detailed cost estimate as part of our business plan that shows the facility can be constructed for between $250M and $300M (US).
11. Who will pay for the project?
Ambassador Niagara will pay all project costs, including the bridge, the plazas, and the connecting roadway.
12. How much will the tolls be?
The cost of the tolls will be competitive in the marketplace and comparable to other crossings in the region. Examples of rates at the Ambassador Crossing between Detroit and Windsor can be found here.
No. The Ambassador Niagara Signature Bridge Group is here for one
purpose and one purpose only: to build a successful international border
crossing between Buffalo, New York and Fort Erie, Ontario. It has been
our observation that trucks using the Peace Bridge and trucks using the
Ambassador Bridge between Detroit, Michigan and Windsor, Ontario carry
different commodities and are destined for different markets. This observation
was confirmed by the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) in a February 2005 presentation, which unmasked myths on border crossings in Michigan. Slides 42 and 43 of this presentation, which can be downloaded from the MDOT site, debunk the myth that Michigan and New York are in competition.
Because border crossings between Windsor, Ontario and Detroit, Michigan and Fort Erie, Ontario and Buffalo, New York are not in competition, we see a business opportunity in the Western New York and Niagara Peninsula region and are forging ahead with our design and construction phases in order to seize this opportunity.
14. What effect does your project have on the Peace Bridge?
The ANSBG Project is compatible with and complements the Peace Bridge. Our study clearly demonstrates the need for both the Peace Bridge and the Ambassador Niagara Bridge. From a community perspective and a business perspective, we think the region would be best served by designating the Peace Bridge as an auto-only bridge, moving commercial trucking operations to the industrial rail corridor. The establishment of a new commercial-oriented crossing within the industrial rail corridor would allow the Peace Bridge to fulfill its original purpose as a signature gateway for the City of Buffalo and the Town of Fort Erie. The proposed Ambassador Niagara Signature Bridge project will allow this goal to still be achieved by diverting commercial traffic away from the historic park and neighborhood immediately adjacent to the Peace Bridge and eliminate the need to expand the plaza operations into these areas. This in turn will release public funds currently designated for the expanding the truck processing facilities into the neighborhood and park, and instead provides funding for neighborhood beatification and parkland enhancements.
15. What effect does the Peace Bridge Authority (PBA) study have on your project?
Certainly there is considerable overlap between our study in the International Corridor, which began in July of 2004, and the studies conducted by the PBA, dating back to 1999. We have conducted a thorough corridor analysis to determine which corridor is most suitable for an international trade crossing. In cases where the studies overlap, regulatory agencies and the public will be briefed, in order to understand the advantages and disadvantages in both corridors.
16. What is Shared Border Management?
Shared Border Management (SBM) is a proposal currently under review that would shift most or all of the customs inspections activities to one side of the border. Agents from both sides would work in the host country. Including SBM, there are at least three possible operational scenarios that could be implemented at the Ambassador Niagara crossing.
1. The traditional scenario continues the current setting. United States agents work on the United States' side while Canadian agents work on the Canadian side. This scenario leaves the bridge unprotected, as very little inspection occurs before the bridge is accessed.
2. Reverse customs, meaning that Canadian agents work in the United States and United States agents work in Canada, ensures that all vehicles are inspected prior to accessing the bridge. Because of the high level of security this scenario provides, this scenario was recommended by the Canadian Senate Committee on National Secuirty and Defence in its June 2005 report, "Borderline Insecure." You can download the report (3.45 MB) from the Parliament website. Recommendation #18 calls for reverse customs; pages 40 - 42 disclose the reasons for the Committee's recommendation of this scenario.
3. Shared Border Management, where both Canadian and United States agents work entirely in Canada (or in the United States). The scenario also leaves the bridge unprotected, as the bridge can be accessed from one side without inspection. Additionally, the environmental impacts are more pronounced on the side of the border in which all of the operations occur.
Only the International Corridor provides the flexibility to allow any of these operational scenarios to be implemented.
17. Would you be willing to work with the PBA?
Yes, Ambassador Niagara has initiated two meetings with members of the PBA Board, staff members and project consultant, Jake Lamb. To date, these parties have been unwilling to work with us.
18. Does the PBA have exclusive, or franchise, rights to operate a bridge?
"The precedent is there. It has been done before . . . The question is what is the kind of border crossing that you want to have?" Former Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin on the campaign trail, Saturday, January 13, 2006, as quoted by The Niagara Falls Review.
No. In 1923 the Canadian government granted the exclusivity, or "franchise," right to the private Buffalo and Fort Erie Public Bridge Company, which operated the Peace Bridge. That company no longer exists. The Buffalo and Fort Erie Peace Bridge Authority (PBA), established in 1934, is a public agency, mandated to serve in the best interest of the public.
The International Railroad corridor is a superior choice for the location of an international trade crossing. Out of fear of competition, the Peace Bridge Authority is claiming the right of franchise to prevent a second international crossing that would benefit communities in both the United States and Canada. This action does not serve in the best interest of the public.
