For the first time in over ninety years, there's a new international crossing between the US and Canada in Detroit. The Gordie Howe Bridge, built by the government of Canada at no cost to the United States, joins the Ambassador Bridge (1929) and the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel (1930) in connecting Detroit and Windsor. The bridge will vastly increase trade capacity between the industrial Midwest and Canada's most populated area. With direct connections to limited access highways on both sides, the new bridge will avoid the mess of surface street routes required to use the other crossings. In addition to vehicle traffic, and unlike the other crossings, the Gordie Howe International Bridge allows for pedestrian and bike traffic to cross between the two countries. While vehicles pay a toll to cross, there's no charge for pedestrians and cyclists. This morning, the family of Gordie Howe had the honor of being the first to officially cross the bridge.
I flew over this last week and I didn't know what I was looking at, I figured it was another city because detroit doesn't have a bridge like that. But I guess they do.
and there is still zero reason to go to de_troit
meanwhile the only bridge between the US and Mexico dumps tourists directly into an airport lounge.
>>2078517That's the beauty of the new bridge. It connects directly to Interstate 75 so you never have to deal with Detroit itself. On the Canadian side, the bridge connects to the MC Hammer Freeway, which you can take all the way to Montreal.
Crossing the bridge at dusk.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyq16lnjRTU&t=300
>>2078530This video has convinced me that I need to go on more night rides
>>2078501in case anyone was wondering, Howe was the big hockey superstar in his day who played for Detroit. so he's someone the Canadians could agree on, I guess, because hockey.>In addition to vehicle traffic, and unlike the other crossings, the Gordie Howe International Bridge allows for pedestrian and bike traffic to cross between the two countriesbut it's not open yet. what's the hold up, I wonder
>>2078690Do you mean the pedestrian/bike passage isn't open yet? The bridge is open to vehicle traffic, which probably was their top priority. I think I noticed in one of the videos that there was a ped/cycle lane that simply ended a bit away from the bridge so maybe they haven't built the required paths connecting to the sidewalks on both sides. On the Detroit side, it's not the most appealing area. Pic related is five years old and I imagine much of this land will get snatched up for warehouses as is typical at border crossings. That's not ideal for pedestrians and cyclists but anything newly built will have to conform to current city codes regarding sidewalks and bike lanes.
Leafs just can't help themselves.
>>2078732This kind of virtue signalling would be less cringe if there were any Anishinaabe representatives on-site to make these declarations themselves instead of having the Canadian government make it on their behalf. It's the equivalent of white people who say "I have black friends" because they're desperate to prove they aren't racist instead of just not being racist
>>2078733I'm not black or native american but I'm brown so that makes me allowed to comment, I think everyone could "do better" as the meme goes but I respect the fact that people are making these declarations at all, when I was growing up we never saw this kind of thing, it was more of a "oh yeah that sucks that we killed them all off ok anyway so like I was saying...." like even seeing the names in print feels like something out of the star trek future, who would have thought we'd be acknowledging this stuff out in the open? But hey maybe it's just me
>>2078734> but I'm brownHow many tens of millions of foreigners does your home country haveWhile "acknowledging" the fake history of savages who were before?
>>2078738I guess it depends on how you define foreigners but ahhh reckun (do I sound american yet?) about 300 million "foreign invaders" of european, african, or asian descent, or some combination thereofOf course if you subtract the ones who have at least one drop of indigenous blood things get complicated quickly, pocahontas warren for example enrages people like you (and frankly that amuses and pleases me) because everything needs to be black and white because the simpleton rightoid mind can't deal with nuance or ambiguity
>>2078732It's really just a last minute attempt by the government to try to avert legal challenges to treaty rights that they've been ignoring for >100 years. I hope the First Nations take them for every cent hey can get desu.
>>2078803I'm going to assume that you aren't baiting and that you live in Canada. Why do you want that?
>>2078803>treaty says they should get 1 dollar a year from 1800's>instead they are getting 20k a year in direct payments + 100k a year in other gibs damn we are oppressing these poor injuns, all of whom have been canadian citizens their whom life... but they actually are our superiors...
>>2078733>instead of just not being racistimpossible, they inherently posess the opriginal sin of making some blacks upset with their existence no matter what they do or say
>>2078742>the simpleton rightoid mind can't deal with nuance or ambiguityironic considering you've called all white people in America foreigners while calling indians native
>>2078855Just trying to see the world through your eyes, are you not a foreign invader?
>>2078732When those 2 kids disappeared in Nova Scotia last year, the very first sentence spoken at a news conference by the Canadian gestapo (RCMP) was an acknowledgement about unceeded lands bullshit. Canada is fucked.
>>2078885As it should be. Of course it's their job to run around looking for some dumb kids playing hide and seek and they should do that because it's what they're paid to do, but first things first.
>>2078861>Just trying to see the world through your eyesyou're too low iq for that
>>2078501GOOOD DAY SAAAARRRR
>>2078885Canada is now 50% white among the young, mateIt's over for usUSA will be whiter soon
>>2078896I flew out of Toronto a couple of weeks ago and would have thought I was in Dehli if I hadn't drove there myself. Canada has become a total joke
Turns out that the Ambassador Bridge paid many companies to slip a clause into shipping contracts with trucking companies to only use the Ambassador and be in violation of the contract if they use the Gordie Howe Bridge.
>>2078900>>2078896As an american, how can I accelerate this process both up there, and down here
>>2078962joining the 41% would be an appropriate course of action
>>2078941Don't these contracts have a 60 or 90 day withdrawal clause? I saw a CBC story about them.
>>2078976Don't know but hope so. The family that owns the Ambassador Bridge deserves to have their income cut some. I do wonder how much longer they'll hold on to it as the maintenance costs must be adding up.
More night views.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9xDT7gMdr6AWonder how one gets permission to fly a drone around a bridge at an international crossing point. Can't imagine security on either side would be happy if a drone pops up unannounced.>>2078976In a way that helps out the Gordie Howe Bridge as any project of this magnitude ends up having operational issues after opening. The sixty day ban on certain truckers won't mean much in the long run but will give the operations team time to address any opening shortcomings.
>>2078941In essence, those companies were getting a discount to use the Ambassador Bridge. I don't understand the problem if both sides agreed to it.
>>2079044Didn't the blackmail agreement to open the bridge prevent the new bridge from lowering prices the same way? The net effect seems to be to inflate prices on the Gordie Howe bridge and steal traffic and revenue from Canadian taxpayers.
>>2079048Not sure about the pricing changes, since I'm not following that too closely.But with respect to paying off the capital costs, as long as the bridge company is paying interest on its debts, then any argument over the pace of repayment is merely down to timing. Governments are generally assumed to "live forever", so it doesn't matter as much if the principal is paid off tomorrow, or paid off a century from now."As long as the debtor is paying interest" is the operative part though. From what I'm seeing, the deal is unclear how debt servicing costs factor in to the "revenue sharing" calculation.
>>2078972there is no need to be upset
>>2079048Seems to only be a problem if it is a permanent restriction. If it's only for sixty days like another poster said, that's absolutely nothing. The Ambassador bridge is almost a century old and it's reasonable to assume the GHB will last at least that long, if not much longer. What would be interesting would be if Detroit and Windsor started putting more restrictions on trucks using surface roads when not making local deliveries. The Ambassador Bridge would essentially lose all of its truck traffic. The city governments on both sides have good justification for doing so since trucks are very damaging on roads, especially local roads not built for that much weight. Truck traffic also interferes with local traffic. Until now, there was no alternative so it was allowed. Now that there's a connection that goes directly between limited access highways on both sides, there's little reason for the two cities to endure the burden of truck traffic on their local roads. And since that's more of a Windsor issue than a Detroit issue where the Ambassador Bridge connection is more direct, the GHB being owned by Canada puts the accounting mostly into the same basket.
>>2079048It just doesn't seem like a big deal if it's an agreement both parties entered into voluntarily
>>2079067If I were the Mourouns, I'd try to sell the AMB to either Michigan or Canada/Ontario ASAP.
>>2079068Going forward, true. The allegation is that the clause was silently inserted into contract renewals in last couple of years when it became obvious that the lawfare against the new bridge wasn't going to work. Still, it is moot if it doesn't extend past a couple of months.>>2079070Seems reasonable but there's so much ego and decades of bad blood that both sides might be reluctant to enter into negotiations in good faith. On the Detroit side, the Ambassador bridge lands in the central business district while the Gordie Howe is down river a little bit in a heavy industrial area. If the Ambassador realigned its operations to cater to local Detroit-Windsor traffic while the Gordie Howe takes on the regional and longer haul traffic, there could be a benefit to both. Customs on both sides could eliminate their freight inspection facilities for the Ambassador if freight was all moved to the Gordie Howe. There are lots of efficiencies to be had if the two are aligned to work together instead of being competitors. First step in that would be for the family to sell off the Ambassador.
>>2078690>>2078692Pedestrian access is now open.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UG_BM3yDmXU&t=50
>>2079051then why are you upset then? it's the most straightforward path to your goal and your parents would also appreciate it.
>>2079071>silentlyWhy would that matter? How do you make a contract loud?
>>2079074In case you're not only pretending to be retarded: It means that a new clause was added to a contract that is routine and boilerplate. For something like a shipping contract, those contracts end up being signed without detailed review because it is assumed they're pretty much the same as the previous contract. If the change is significant, it is generally considered unethical and can even be thrown out by a court if someone wants to go through the trouble of challenging it. Minor contract changes happen all the time and are blindly accepted because they're minor. Significant changes should be brought to the attention of the other parties to the contract. Failure to do so jeopardizes the legality of the contract.Please don't post a trollish, retarded reply. There are other boards for that. If you want to discuss the bridge, please feel free to contribute. If you're sad and lonely because no one likes you, this is not the place to get your emotional needs met.
>>2079081You talk like a faggot and you're shit's all retarded. Imagine saying stupid things like "silently added to a contract" as not only a matter of scandal, but also that it's truthful. Imagine being such a tool that you explain such a stupid notion in a condescending diatribe on a Croatian knitting BBS.
>>2078900A buddy just came back from Banff. Said it was a sea of turbans and shawls. Trip ruined. Said he and his parents were eyed as "what are you doing here?" Very uncomfortable so they cut their visit short. They saw much the same at other tourist spots in the Rockies.:^( it saddens me that in the early 80s many voiced this future outcome, only to be shouted down by lefties that we called "PC's" back then.
>>2079081>For something like a shipping contract, those contracts end up being signed without detailed review because it is assumed they're pretty much the same as the previous contract.No, contracts are meticulously reviewed to prevent that exact situation. > If you want to discuss the bridge, please feel free to contribute.You just sperged out about a contract that may or may not exist.
>>2079081Don't feed the troll, the guy is underaged. He clearly proves that by not knowing what "silently included" means in contracts & clauses when it is common knowledge among adults.A former BC premier slipped in a silent clause in the new RCMP renewal contract. It had major negative repercussions among multiple dozens of towns and municipalities and didn't get highlighted until critics were able to closely examine it, albeit too late. Once again, "both parties (BC Govt and RCMP) entered into it voluntarily" to use underaged-anon's conceptual belief.
>>2079088I won't engage with your straw man but having lawyers and accountants review contract renewals is standard practice. Everyone knows there are exceptions to every rule.If you want to discuss the bridge, please feel free to contribute.
>>2078733>Land ACK!!knawledgements would be less cringe if they did them harder and woker
>>2079089>If you want to discuss the bridge, please feel free to contribute.It looks nice :^)
The pedestrian/cycling connector to the bridge is a weird long cage. I get that they want to prevent people from sneaking things or even themselves in but it's still weird to see.
>>2079424Its not a design fault as much as a quirk of the US-Canada border but there really isn't a single border crossing designed for pedestrian traffic. Its sad but unsurprising that a new bridge takes this step since Canada-US smuggling is getting larger every year
>>2079425>there really isn't a single border crossing designed for pedestrian traffic.Are you retarded? There are plenty.
>>2079427My favorite are the little shacks with a phone they use in rural areas. >>2079425Think one of the news segments about the opening of the bridge mentioned that there's a separate building for customs if you cross on foot or on a bike.
>>2079425>but there really isn't a single border crossing designed for pedestrian trafficThe one at Niagara Falls is
>>2078501They should rename the Peace Bridge in Buffalo to the Tim Horton in compliance with the custom
>>2079440Plus Niagara Falls is now full of Indians, just like Tim Hortons.
>>2078517Anywhere in the US is better than everywhere in canada.