On July 20 Canada's Federal Government put up the cash to bring a publicly-owned bridge between Detroit and Windsor, Ontario, "one step closer" to fruition despite legal and lobbying challenges from the U.S. owner of the present Ambassador Bridge. The Canadian government announced it has bought 94 acres of land from the City of Windsor for US$30.6 million and is negotiating with individual residential and industrial landowners for 108 acres more, in order to build a new inspection plaza and Canada’s portion of the intended six-lane bridge. The planned new bridge is about two miles (3.2km) downstream from the Ambassador Bridge. The project includes some 15km (9 miles) of road that would provide a high quality direct connection between I-75 in Michigan and Highway 401 in Ontario. It is part of the Detroit River International Crossing (DRIC) project, a consortium of U.S. and Canadian agencies cooperating to build the bridge.

After years of dispute and controversy, the governments of the United States, Canada, Michigan and Ontario decided to build a replacement bridge for the 80-year-old Ambassador Bridge, owned by industrialist Manuel (Matty) Moroun of Grosse Point, Mich. They chose the site over the opposition of Moroun, who is trying to go ahead with his own construction of a six-lane twin span to the Ambassador, connecting the existing plazas of Detroit and Windsor.

Canadian and US officials have expressed frustration at delays at the Michigan Department of Transportation, which has been promising action within the year since 2005. Moroun started some construction work to build his new span without Canadian or American federal or state/province approvals, saying he does not legally need them.

Moroun has some Michigan and Detroit politicians, and advocacy groups, on his side. But the Michigan Department of Transport accuses him of construction without a permit, Detroit says what he is doing encroaches on city land, and the U.S. government through the Coast Guard has frozen earlier environmental approvals. Canada has turned thumbs down on the Moroun plan in favour of the proposed new bridge which would take cross-border traffic away from congested downtown Windsor.

Sixty percent of US-Canadian truck traffic is over the three Detroit area crossings - Ambassador Bridge, Detroit Windsor Tunnel, Blue Water Bridge. About 50% of the truck traffic is locally generated. The bulk of the passenger traffic - about three quarters - is local, that is people in the Detroit and Windsor areas interacting via jobs, shopping, recreation just across the river. Ninety percent of the passenger traffic originates or is destined locally. Long distance travelers are less than 10%.

The Blue Water Bridge that links Port Huron, Michigan to Sarnia, Ontario is 90km (55mi) from Detroit and is more circuitous for traffic with origins or destinations to the south. But it has full expressway approaches on either side and quicker border clearance plazas and is competitive for long distance traffic. This has been a popular route for traffic destined to or arriving from Chicago and the midwest United States. The Detroit - Windsor Tunnel is 3km (1.8mi) upstream northeast of the Ambassador bridge.

Canada plans a 139-acre inspection plaza, which it says would be "one of the largest in North America," with 29 lanes including 13 for trucks only and six more for cars or trucks as traffic demands. There would be nine toll booths and secondary parking for more than 100 trucks at a time. The other 63 acres would be for the Canadian portion of the bridge across the Detroit River.