Micki Maynard · Billionaire Bridge Owner Thrown In Jail As Saga Continues

January 12th, 2012


For years, billionaire Manuel “Matty” Moroun has defied court orders regarding the bridge he owns between Detroit and Windsor, Ontario. (Yes, a private businessman owns an international border crossing.) Now, Moroun is in jail, in the latest chapter in the saga of the Ambassador Bridge.

A judge ordered Moroun and his associate, Dan Stamper, the president of the Detroit International Bridge Company, jailed on contempt charges. The company was under a court order to complete the Gateway Project, which was meant to allow motorists to enter the bridge directly from Interstate 96.

The project was supposed to be finished two years ago, but Moroun’s company constructed duty free shops that were not authorized as part of the project. Instead of zipping onto the bridge and over to Canada, motorists have to wind along a service drive and backtrack to toll booths.

State transportation officials estimate it will take about a year to dismantle Moroun’s additions and build the lanes, ramps and other features that the $230 million Gateway Project called for.

The chaotic courtroom scene comes as Moroun, 84, has been campaigning to build a second bridge adjacent to the Ambassador Bridge, something the state of Michigan would like to do itself.

Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder and a number of local business officials argue a new bridge is needed so the state can remain competitive. But Moroun has lobbied against it in the state capital, blocking legislation that would authorize a second bridge.

I wrote about the push for the new bridge last year for The Atlantic Cities. That project remains up in the air.

Category: Ambassador Bridge, Biztech, Communities, Detroit, Government, Industry, Rick Snyder
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