James P. Hoffa, general president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, told Michigan business and political leaders Monday that the Jobs Tunnel project to expand freight capacity between Windsor and Detroit is needed
because "we are facing a gridlock crisis at the world's busiest border crossing."
In an address to the Detroit Economic Club at Cobo Center, the leader of North America's largest transportation union urged prompt action by officials to let work begin on the Detroit River rail and truck route. "To preserve and expand manufacturing jobs in the Michigan-Ontario corridor, we must increase capacity across the border."
The private project will convert existing rail tunnels into a two-lane truck route linking Detroit and Windsor. A new train tunnel would be built alongside for double-stacked freight cars. Construction is estimated to cost $430 million, with no state or local money requested.
The Teamsters leader has pushed for the new border route for commercial shipments since last year and commented on it at a Michigan Manufacturing Summit hosted by the governor in Plymouth last December.
"Thousands of trucks are backed up on the Ambassador Bridge," he said Monday at Cobo Center. "One solution is the conversion of the old Detroit- Windsor train tunnel to a dedicated truck tunnel called the Jobs Tunnel."