Appeals court wants update on permit for proposed bridge

DETROIT (AP) — Ambassador Bridge owner Matty Moroun should find out by early January whether the U.S. Coast Guard will grant a request for a permit to build a bridge across the Detroit River next to the existing one.

A federal appeals court in Washington, D.C., this week set a deadline of Jan. 4 for the Coast Guard to either grant a permit or explain why one cannot be issued to Detroit International Bridge Co., which for years has wanted to move ahead on the project.

Even with a permit, Canadian approvals are needed.

Moroun’s lawyers also have sought to stop construction of a competing $2.1 billion government span across the Detroit River between Detroit and Windsor, Ontario. Plans call for that project, called the Gordie Howe International Bridge, to open in 2020.