An emergency direction has been issued under the International Bridges & Tunnels Act to Canadian Transit Company (CTC), the owner of the Ambassador Bridge.
The direction concerns safety deficiencies found in a section of the bridge’s railings and kerbs on the Canadian side. The deficiencies were observed during a Transport Canada safety inspection last month.
Transport Canada said that the deficiencies pose a risk to the public. The department has advised CTC to install temporary concrete barriers between the traffic on the bridge and the outside kerb as a safety precaution.
“The safety of the Ambassador Bridge is of critical importance, and I support the measures taken by my department to protect public safety,” said Canada’s transport minister Marc Garneau. “I ask the Canadian Transit Company, as the bridge’s owner, to do everything it can to speed up repair work in order to reduce crossing delays. Should action not be taken in a timely manner, I will not hesitate to take additional safety measures.”
The bridge links Detroit in Michigan to Windsor in the Canadian province of Ontario and the owner wants to expand the capacity of the busy crossing. However, a new government-owned structure, the Gordie Howe Bridge, is currently being developed.
