Posted Jun 1, 2012, 9:18 AM
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Midwest Moderator - Editor
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Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Big Mitten
Posts: 31,745
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Looks like Gov. Snyder has finally geared up to go around the Michigan Legislature to build this thing. They are talking weeks not months for a project that's dragged on for years:
Quote:
Snyder closes in on new bridge; deal bypasses state Legislature
By Nolan Finley | Detroit News columnist
June 1, 2012
Mackinac Island— After months of under-the-radar negotiations, just one obstacle remains to getting a new bridge across the Detroit River — the determination of the Canadians to use cheaper Chinese steel to build the span.
Top officials of the Snyder administration, on the island for the Detroit Regional Chamber's annual policy conference, told me a deal is nearly complete to construct the long anticipated bridge without direct approval of the state Legislature, and they expect to complete the details within a few weeks.
Resolving the Chinese steel issue, they say, is the final piece.
"This is going to get done, and quickly," said one of Gov. Rick Snyder's top lieutenants. "We're talking weeks, not months."
Canada is bankrolling Michigan's $550 million share of the $1.5 billion project and wants to keep costs as low as possible. Buying steel from China will trim tens of millions from the final tab.
But because the deal involves the U.S. government, there are requirements that only domestically produced materials, when available, be used in federal construction projects.
"It's a philosophical difference, but one we're confident we can move beyond," the Snyder staffer said.
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buildthedricnow.com
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Last edited by LMich; Jun 1, 2012 at 9:57 AM.
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