June marks the fifth anniversary of the signing of the Canada-Michigan Crossing Agreement, a pivotal point in the story of the Gordie Howe International Bridge project.
On June 15, 2012, the Government of Canada and the State of Michigan signed the agreement which established the framework for Canada’s and Michigan’s roles and responsibilities for the largest and most ambitious bi-national infrastructure project along the Canada-US border.
The Crossing Agreement does more than just lay the groundwork for the building of the new bridge, Ports of Entry and the Michigan Interchange – it also includes important provisions for the design, build, financing, operation and maintenance of the Gordie Howe International Bridge project.
The agreement stipulates that:
- all iron and steel for any bridge component in Canada and for any component of the project in the United States, will be sourced in either Canada or the United States
- the Government of Canada will pay all costs of the required land acquisition in Canada and Michigan and for the construction of an interchange to provide connections to I-75
- tolls for both Canada-bound and US-bound traffic will be collected on the Canadian side of the crossing and used to reimburse the Canadian government for the funds it advances related to the project
- the public-private partnership agreement must contain provisions for community benefit plan and for the involvement of the host communities in Canada and Michigan
- the crossing will be publicly-owned, jointly by Canada and Michigan
- the International Authority will be comprised of equal representation by Canada and Michigan.
