DETROIT – The U.S. Coast Guard announced Tuesday it has approved a permit to allow Matty Moroun's Detroit International Bridge Company (DIBC) to move forward on a plan to twin the Ambassador Bridge.
The Detroit City Council and DIBC, owned by the Moroun family, reached an agreement in July 2015 which allowed the DIBC to pursue permits to construct a bridge over Riverside Park as part of a land swap deal.
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"The Coast Guard views the land swap agreement as sufficient evidence of 'necessary primary authority' to allow the Coast Guard to make a permit decision," it announced in a news release. "The agreement, as it currently stands, does not provide DIBC with legal title to the park property because it must be approved by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. National Park Service. While a Coast Guard bridge permit can be issued, construction of the bridge cannot commence until such approvals are received."
Moreover, the DIBC still needs approval from the Canadian government on the other side of the Detroit River before any construction on a second bridge span can begin.
A second span for the DIBC would compete directly with the state of Michigan and Canada's plan to build the proposed Gordie Howe International Crossing.
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