Actually, the word is illegals ...
Technically, Michigan would have no money into the bridge. Canada is loaning the $500M to the bridge authority, not the state of Michigan. The authority, which has no financial affiliation to the authority is on the hook for the loan. Further, the $150M/year in tolls that the current (and delapidated) bridge collects, even at 50% would be adequate to pay the new bridge off with profit for the state.
The Bridge company has turned a major piece of Windsor into a slum, violating Canadian law multiple times. They have violated Michigan law on multiple occurrances, which is why the entrance ramps to the structure are blocked (they did not pay their bills to Michigan, so the state blocked the entry ramps).
Further, the bridge company, illegally stole land from Detroit. The court, and appelate court have ordered them to return the land they stole. There is only one small problem, they built a duty-free shop on it.
With the money going to the authority, Mighigan can get an additional $500M in money to fix other parts of the failing state infrastructure.
If private enterprise is so great for infrastructure, Why are the railroads dying such a miserable death? Why not turn all the roads into toll roads and sell them to private companies? We would never sell the bridge over the Rouge river on I-75. The problem here is that because there is another country involved and people are afraid to work for a joint common good. Canada will benefit and Mighigan will both directly and indirectly benefit.
I am sorry, but DRIC makes great fiscal sense for the future of Detroit, Michigan, and Ontario.
--BWS