There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy

I've waited about 40 years to be able to use that line from Act 1 of Hamlet!

Clearly, there are certain phenomena that we just cannot explain using our logic. DRIC's treatment of the Twinned Bridge proposal is one of these matters.

If I were the owner of the Bridge Company, I am not sure what my reaction would be to what they have said. I'd probably have a meeting with my litigation lawyers at the least early in the new year. "Is something rotten in the state of Michigan and Province of Ontario?"

Is the Twinned Bridge or the 200 booth proposal "to be or not to be? That is the question." Is DRIC being "cruel, only to be kind?"

On the one hand, DRIC probably gave him a nice X-mas gift. As I wrote previously in "Is There A Santa Claus" on December 14, DRIC said:

• "However, the Canadian evaluation notes a second span of the Ambassador Bridge would be an expansion of the existing crossing, not a new crossing of the river with new connections to the freeway systems in Ontario and Michigan."

Since the Bridge Co.'s Twinned Bridge or 200 booth proposal is considered an expansion of the existing crossing, the Bi-national has no control over them. Moreover, the Bridge Co.'s route can receive the $300 million funding to build the WALTS/Ring/Schwartz/Windsor road including the "missing link" to the Bridge under the Border Infrastructure Fund legislation. After all, it is not a NEW proposal but expansion of an existing corridor to the border.

On the other hand, the way DRIC treated his suggested crossing was unconscionable. Oh, his US side project, the Ambassador Gateway plaza was fine. It was more than fine actually:

• "The most cost-effective Illustrative Alternatives are X-11/C-4 (Delray East)/Dragoon/I-75 and X-12/II-4 (Expanded Ambassador Bridge Plaza)/I-75 which rank first and second, respectively, in terms of cost-effectiveness by both the Citizens’ and Technical Team’s weights. These alternatives are also the top two performers in effectiveness (Table S-10) according to both the Citizens’ and Technical Team’s weights. These indices are very much apart from all other Alternatives. And, these two crossing systems are among the best performers in Regional Mobility."

But it was the way his Canadian side was treated that eliminated the Twinned Bridge. "The DRIC doth protest too much, methinks..."

• "Specifically, the existing plaza in Canada at the Ambassador Bridge is approximately 20 acres. A suitable plaza size to meet the requirements of border agencies, accommodate all international truck and auto traffic and connections to a second span of the Ambassador Bridge is 120 acres... Ambassador Bridge crossing alternative is eliminated because, in Canada, the plaza and freeway connection leading to a second span would have unacceptable community impacts and the constructability of a six-lane freeway along Huron Church Road is doubtful in light of intensity of the surrounding development."

"Though this be madness, yet there is method in 't." What does this all mean? Take a look at the picture above. It shows what DRIC thinks the Twinned Bridge proposal is: a route down Huron Church Road to a plaza that takes over Sandwich! Now not even the Mayor and Ward 2 Councillors would have the nerve to accuse the Bridge Co. of wanting that proposal.

Instead of looking at the off-site Bridge Co. plaza and the "Ring" Road as the Bridge Co. proposal for a Twinned Bridge, DRIC created a fiction and thereby eliminated the Twinned Bridge. It was a "murder must foul."

The Bridge Co. never wanted an expanded plaza where DRIC said it did nor did it ever propose turning Huron Church into a 6-lane freeway to the border.

In the end, it probably does not matter. The Bridge Co. will just keep on doing what it has been doing in spite of DRIC. As Polonius said in Act 1 also: "To Thine Own Self Be True."

DRIC Engineers had better be careful though if litigation is a possibility:

• "For 'tis the sport to have the enginer
  Hoist with his own petar."