I have no idea how or why the Ambassador Bridge is privately owned or operated, but I do know they’ve been screwing people with exorbitant toll fees for years. With the new Gordie Howe bridge set to open soon, and with sharply lower tolls, the Detroit International Bridge Co. is about to take a financial hit. And that’s why CEO Matthew Maroun made a $1 million donation to MAGA Pac in January to stop the competition.
Source: Detroit News
Washington — Tolls to cross the not-yet-open Gordie Howe International Bridge will be less than half the fees at the competing Ambassador Bridge for both passenger vehicles and commercial trucks, setting in motion a forthcoming toll war between the two Detroit River crossings.
Commercial shippers that sign up for the Gordie Howe bridge’s “Breakaway” discount toll program will pay charges of 6.90 U.S. dollars per axle, according to rates announced Wednesday by the new bridge’s operators. The comparable rate for A-Pass and E-ZPass holders crossing the Ambassador Bridge is 15 U.S. dollars per axle.
For typical five-axle semi-trucks, that represents a $40.50 cost advantage for a truck to cross the new publicly owned Gordie Howe Bridge rather than the privately owned Ambassador Bridge.
For passenger vehicles, the Breakaway toll on the Gordie Howe Bridge will be $4.35 USD per crossing. The minimum rate available on the Ambassador is $10. The cheapest travel through the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel is $6.75 to enter Windsor and $4.70 to enter Detroit.
The Detroit International Bridge Co., the Moroun family firm that operates the Ambassador Bridge, did not return requests for comment on the Wednesday toll announcement.
The Detroit News provided a handy chart of the price gouging.
