Why a Billionaire Tried to Stop This Bridge 

I'm so glad I can finally get a mug with Fred's face on. Oh, also, nice video!

As a Michigander, I remember voting on this years ago. My family and friends were all very confused why anyone was trying to frame having a second bridge to Windsor was a bad thing. The next closest bridge is in Port Huron, 64 miles(100KM) away. Thank you for showing the face of the man responsible!

As a Michigander, that guy has always pissed us off. Every time there is an attempt to improve Canada-US trade and benefit both countries, he comes in and uses his money to torpedo projects.

2:13 I can't get over the fact that it cost 45$ just to cross a bridge. I'm speechless... I can't find words to describe how absurd it is.

This bridge is also needed cause the Ambassador bridge doesn't directly connect I-75 with Southern Ontario's Highway network, once in Windsor, you're on a stroad... The new Gordie Howe bridge will directly connect with the E.C. Row Expressway, a highway built a while ago for this very purpose. It connects with the 401 without a single traffic light, and the 401 connects Windsor with London, Kitchener, Mississauga, Toronto, Kingston and Montreal, with connections to Hamilton and Ottawa along the way

"This bridge will be great for the economy." - everyone else "But what about MY economy!" - a billionaire

If there is one thing a monopoly hates, it's competition. Also shows that billionaires shouldn't be expected to do anything not immediately in their self-interest.

There was also an attempt by the then owners of the Detroit River railroad tunnels to convert them into a tollway for trucks (whist building a new railroad tunnel with sufficient clearance for doublestack container trains). Needless to say the billionaire stopped that too.

The Ambassador Bridge owner may have delayed the Gordon Howe Bridge by 20 years, but as someone whose made that crossing a bunch in my life, I’m confident the new bridge will quickly replace the old one. The Ambassador Bridge is an absolute nightmare and requires getting off a protected highway and going traffic light to traffic light through Windsor. Not to mention the Ambassador Bridge will have to be replaced in the next decade or so and I’m happy to see it so.

Bridges always help to increase trade and improve the economy. Can't believe that the owner of the bridge was able to stop development of a 2nd bridge.

The Gordie Howe Bridge might be the most Detroit/Canadian thing ive ever heard, and I love it haha

Back when I was younger my family visited my grandparents who live in Detroit. We crossed the border a few times into Windsor to visit my dad's brother in Ontario. We would always go via the Ambassador's Bridge or a tunnel. Although I was young, I still remember crossing the Bridge to Canada. We currently live in Australia, and haven't been back over there for a decade unfortunately. So seeing this project happening makes me excited for when we hopefully go back soon, and maybe I might go over it if it is finished! Great video!

Yes, I know it's, politically, an international border but it's also a geographic feature. I'm from the Detroit area and it was amazing to me to visit Pittsburgh and casually count 23 bridges crossing the rivers from where I stood. Looked so sensible!

Its an international bridge, why would a private entity own an international boarder crossing is wild to me.

It’s absolutely mind-boggling to me how an American citizen can own not only an international border crossing, but one of such vital importance while personally amassing all of its associated revenue.

I spoke to one of the project managers involved in this project pursuit to potentially working directly on this project. While that hasn't come to fruition, I love every aspect of this project as a Torontonian Red Wings fan.

really really good! loved the details and commentary, all the video clips used were great as well. the ending summarizing the importance of this really was the cherry. NICE!

Proud to say I was part of this project for the last 3 years as a local Windsorite. Managed 17,000m3 worth of concrete pours. The south tower on the Canadian side has 2 of my phones embedded near the road deck aha.

Spending tens of millions on legal actions, tv adverts and direct petitions to the white house when you could have used that money to build an even bigger and better bridge is pretty stupid. But then again, the billionaire in question was a Moroun.

The B1M makes videos on random topics so interesting. Appreciate the hard work. 👍👍👍

the B1M, one of the highest quality channels on RU-vid! This cable stayed bridge will be quite impressive when completed.

I just spent a week in Windsor and Detroit doing my part working on this project. You don't really see how large the project is without being there in person.

Ha! Dude! That bridge is being build in my neck of the woods! Seeing it featured on the B1M is so cool! I've been watching the B1M for a few year and never did I expect my little corner of Canada to make it on the channel. Thanks for featuring this project! 🇨🇦✌🏻

I love this crossing with all of my heart. Always went across it every summer as a kid.

Thank you for covering this one, you did a great job, and it's close to home for me. I live in Pontiac Michigan! :-)

Windsorite here, great coverage on most of this. A few things to note about how hard Muroun actually did fight against the bridge: He effectively de valued entire neighborhoods in windsors poorest areas by buying property, boarding it up and letting it become derelict, so that he could buy the remaining properties for cheaper. Also, from what I had heard (and saw) he actually began building his new bridge without permits prior to being charged and arrested (for 1 day I believe it was? Although I doubt he ever sat in jail at al). The new bridge was to be built directly next to the old one, and they actually use what would have been it’s on ramps as the old bridges on ramps to this day.

A valuable public works project and a billionaire presented in an accurate manner? I'm loving what I'm seeing lately B1M!

Thank you for all of your detailed and informative videos! My boys and I love watching your videos!

Privately owning a bridge makes me think of the old fairy tails-- where a mean and hungry troll lives under a bridge to collect..

Perfect symbol of US-Canadian cooperation: Gordie Howe was Canadian, but spent most of his career helping the Detroit Red Wings win big!

So excited you covered the bridge! Matty Maroun is a Batman-style supervillain. You want someone almost universally hated by all Detroiters? Look no further. I work next to the Ambassador toll plaza in Detroit and it's congested with trucks almost every single day. Very excited for the Gordie Howe to finish!

Excellent as always, thank you.

Amazing to hear more about it! GHIB is just one of many projects the people I work with are doing so to me, it was just another item on the long list.

"NO YOU CANT BUILD A BRIDGE! NO ONE OTHER THAN *ME* AND MY BRIDGE ALLOWED TO EXISTS!!" Literally everyone else: "Heh.. hold our cement."

As a Dutch person that loves making videos about infrastructure, I really like the scale of this huge Bridge!

Very nice, can't wait till it's complete!

Just the 401 extension on the Canadian side was an engineering marvel and a major undertaking. Just look at G Earth, many long sections below grade and covered over. It cost 1.4 bn Canadian alone.

Ah yes, my favorite kind of person. Billionaires trying to stop progress because it could interfere with their profits.

„Water under the Bridge“ - love these B1M pun’s

been watching this project for years now.. area has changed so much in past few years

Great video as always! Would have loved to see a parallel made with the Samuel-de-Champlain bridge in Montreal which share many common aspects with the GHIB.

That bridge can't be built soon enough! That Ambassador bridge is falling apart. It's pretty scary when you are sitting in traffic midway along the bridge and you see examine the rusting structure. That greedy billionaire did not spend much for the upkeep of that bridge, it'a going to fall apart one day. That's why there was so much pressure to build a new bridge.

Thanks for covering the most important construction project in the region. Manuel "Matty" Moroun was a real piece of work. He had so much clout in the Michigan state government, through "campaign contributions", that the republican governor at the time (Snyder) couldn't get the project funded by the state. This was the case even though his own party had strong majorities in both chambers of the state legislature. He finally had to do a legal end run around the legislators to even get the project going.

Thank you for sharing..

Nice video as always but here is my problem I have been making losses trying to make profit tradng. I thought tradng demo account is just like tradng the real market... can anyone help me out or at least advise me on what to do?

The new bridge also eliminates the need to drive through a part of the urban area of Windsor with multiple street lights. We also disliked driving through pot-holed roads in the run down area as you existed US boarder inspections trying to find I75 south on our way to Texas in the winter. We eventually switched to crossing at Fort Erie/Buffalo even though it increased our drive time. Really looking forward to using this new bridge.

As a Canadian born and raised in Windsor, it is nice that someone brings to light what has been going on with the new bridge.

This is an insanely cool project. I can't wait until it's finished.

Thanks for this video

This bridge is a long time coming. Can’t wait to see it completed. It’s going to beautiful and further solidify our friendship with Canada. 🇨🇦🇺🇸

As a Canadian, a couple of key items missing. The importance to the Canadian economy cannot be overstated. One quarter of ALL Canada/USA trade was driven over the Ambassador bridge (the nearby Detroit - Windsor Tunnel cannot be used by trucks). So important that the ENTIRE cost of the bridge, the US port of entry facilities, and the highway connection to I75 in Detroit will be bourne by the Canadian government. The US is either indifferent to the project or knows that Canada's hand was forced in order to get this done. The principal Ontario Highway 401 ends miles short of downtown Windsor, so ALL trucks and cars travelling between countries on the Ambassador are backed up behind many traffic lights in the city. A brand new direct freeway has been built from 401 to the new bridge site, and has been finished and waiting for years. Because of the easy road access to GHB, the Ambassador or its possible same-site replacement is at a serious disadvantage.

One thing I love about B1M is the lack of clickbaity titles. This video unfortunately broke that streak. Hopefully just a temporary aberration. Love your content!

My grandfather would love this, he was the chief civil engineer for the city of Detroit in the 1930’s!

Always brings me joy to see Canada mentioned in a B1M video. Loving the content, guys!! 😁

There are times where your narration alone makes me wish I could hit the like button multiple times.

thanks for sharing interesting video about this bridge.

Great video I'm subscribing to your channel right away

You haven't mentioned why a second span alongside the Ambassador bridge wasn't feasible. On the Canadian side, a second span would have to use Huron Church road, a main street artery in Windsor while good for lots of car traffic does not handle the enormous amount of trucks traveling over it every year to get to highway 401 (the main artery connecting Windsor to the GTA). The amount of repair work that has to be done is insane and expensive, to the point its done almost annually. This road also divides residential neighbourhoods from nearby businesses and institutions like mom-and-pop shops, banks, grocery stores, high schools and university facilities. Traffic in this area can't get extremely hairy during rush hour and has been proven unsafe, forcing the city to spend enormous amounts of money on safety measures like a pedestrian bridge to a high school after a parent was killed by tractor trailer while crossing Huron. The Gordie Howe bridge will directly connect to the 401, which means pretty much all trucks will be diverted through this bridge rather through the Ambassador bridge, representing an enormous loss of revenue for the Ambassador bridge, who will now have to compete with the Detroit-Windsor tunnel and the Gordie Howe bridge for passenger car traffic. Don't feel bad for the Moroun family though, they have plenty of other profitable businesses in logistics and had many decades to figure out the inevitable infrastructure problems on the Canadian side and anticipate them. Instead they decided leach off the traffic crossing this bridge and at times leaving bridge to deteriorate at the expense of people living near or under the bridge on both sides.

I live near this, and it is a massive undertaking, definitely the tallest thing on the Windsor side. One thing that is not covered to well is that the Ambassador Bridge is one of the bridges that is in the cheaper to demolish than fix category. The underside is covered in wood to prevent chunks hitting people and cars, and the parking that was under it was removed. Moroun had to be sued to actually fix the guardrails on the thing. Odds are the bridge will come down in the next 20 years, probably by gravity rather than controlled.

Had no clue this was going on. TY.

Geordie Howe is a legend. he’s no Wayne Gretzky but he was an amazing hockey player. good that he’s still being honored! love my hockey legends🇨🇦❤️🇺🇸

This video is just another reason why I just love this channel! Fascinating stuff, and a lot of new information for me, as I had not heard anything about this bridge before.

please do a longer video on the bridge.. very interesting to hear more

Great Video very informative and impressive

Crazy how this guy simply has the status of "owner" and thus can take $45 per truck off into his pocket without providing anything in return but blocking other state owned bridges. The price of the trucks should be exactly as much as is needed to maintain the bridge, or build another one. This man is everything that is bad about capitalism: a senile old man who is a billionaire because he could mercilessly exploit his economic position. Now he's using that money to defend his position against everyone's interest. 🤢

Our prayers go to the billionaire and his family who have been hard tested lately

First time I'm watching this channel. Very good quality content. Congratulation!

great video - thank

As someone who grew up in Windsor, right near the Ambassador bridge, one additional motivator for this bridge's construction is public health. There is a cancer cluster near the road leading to the Canadian side of the bridge, which many believe is due to the stopped traffic (which is mostly tractor trailers). The whole Canadian side now has a huge sunken highway entrance leading to the new span, and green parkway surrounding it.

Cool to see another bridge in Michigan, but nothing will beat the Mackinac Bridge

I love the art on both sides of the crossing these bridges can look really boring but the Eagle and maple leaf (along with some other stuff I don't know what to call) just look really nice especially the Eagle with all the feather shading.

Excellent and informative show.

That billionaire complaining about another bridge being built but not taking the initiative to expand his existing bridge is hilarious 😂 You know that it is having over capacity issue and becoming bottleneck. Then use your money to built a new one

The pure, unfiltered greed of this man. Imagine being this stinkin´ rich, you have maybe 15-20 years left on this planet and all you care about is making even more of a fortune at the cost of everyone else. Thats all thats on your mind and you would do anything for it. One could almost feel sad for such a sad piece of shit. Almost.

Thanks! Very interesting

I'm a Canadian trucker and I always cross at the Blue Water Bridge, that goes from Port Huron, MI, to Sarnia, ON. It also has a toll on it, but it's almost always clear.

When you used examples for suspension bridges you should have use the Mackinaw Bridge because of its connection to the state.

Yes 👏 I’m happy we’re seeing a video on here of Detroit. I’d love to see one on the Hudson site when it’s a little more complete

I must say I really like the artwork on the two pillars during construction.

I didn't know this video exists but it's weird seeing this project that I pass every day being feature and billionaires in Detroit go so deep that yes they can stop a bridge. Bu this bridge is so needed. Last summer when CA was having issues with their side of the border (staffing) they congested all of our freeways so bad. Trucks were just lining all the freeways. I'm hoping this bridge will ease the traffic and allow more tourism to Detroit's changing landscape and economy.

Eeee so happy to see something about my hometown of Windsor 🇨🇦

because of the monopoly on the ambassador bridge

Hats off to the newspaper writer who went with "A Bridge Too Near". Excellent work.

Glad that ranger cleaned up the environment. Good work sir.

$45 to cross a bridge... id rather swim lol

As someone who lives in Michigan, I knew it was about Detroit from the title alone.

I like how they started at the base of the tower and worked their way up. That's smart thinking!

Civil engineering and construction is fascinating! I'd be proud to of been involved in the construction of such a feat of engineering.

Great video! Only questionable part was the Pun at the end!😂

You forgot to mention that Canada is covering 85% of the cost of constructing the bridge. Michigan had to purchase the land on their side of the bridge, but then was reimbursed by the Canadian government. I was surprised to read that Republican members of the Michigan legislature were originally opposed to this new bridge. Could it have been the large campaign contributions from that billionaire? I wonder?

I hope you’re proud of that water under the bridge pun 🤣

Very good stuff.😊 new sub

Your videos are always the best💯 I do receive a notification each time you post a new video.. We'll have regrets for things we did not participate in...Investment should always be on any creative man's heart for success in life.

I live in Windsor, Ontario, Canada and i drive by this project often and its amazing to watch a bridge being built. The support pillars leading to the Canadian tower are being poured and set up right now. The bridge towers are already visible from different vantage points from the city and county. Everything about this bridge and the new highway leading to it have taken longer than expected, but now it's starting to come together. Very cool to see!

The B1M back at it again with quality content. Keep up the good work. Your vids. are awesome.

The new Gordie Howe hat trick: a goal, an assist, a fight... and a bridge named after you.

Windsorite here, the Maroun family did so much damage on both sides of this border crossing economically it's ridiculous. I've never seen two cities from two countries hate a family for than these people.

A new international cable-stayed bridge is under construction on the border between Brazil and Paraguay, it is called the Integration Bridge. It should improve traffic on the Friendship Bridge, the existing link between Foz do Iguaçu (Brazil) and Ciudad del Este (Paraguay).

Great job with this story. Many of us just love construction videos. I'm 78, but I hope to live long enough to see many more mega-projects completed. No. 1 or 2 in the whole world? The Strait of Messina bridge in Italy. Unfortunately the Sicilians (Italians?) don't want to lose some of their identity. May 23, 2022 Missouri, USA

I knew exactly which bridge this would be from the title, and the whole story