• "transporting hazardous materials across the Ambassador Bridge has been ruled excessively dangerous due to the lack of necessary safety measures and emergency planning in case of an accident that would close the bridge ..." 

To reiterate, MDOT's Mr. Kratofil confirmed that each of the foregoing statements in the Draft Resolution was false. At that same meeting, the Committee directed an interdisciplinary team of City experts to review Ambassador Bridge's request and make a recommendation to the Committee. Subsequently. a member of the City of Detroit Legislative Policy Division confirmed that the Draft Resolution would be withdrawn and re-drafted because it was based on inaccurate information. Councilmember Castaileda.1_6pez's Draft Resolution, which we understand will be revised, is slated to be brought back before the Public Health and Safety Committee on November 16, 2020. At that time, the Committee will likely receive the recommendation described above and then take further action. Once the Committee makes its recommendation, the matter will then be advanced to the full Detroit City Council. 

After the Committee meeting on October 5, 2020, Councilmember Castafteda-Lbpa visited the Ambassador Bridge for a tour and a meeting to discuss our request to lift the restrictions on Class 3 and Class 8 hazardous materials. It was a productive meeting as the Councilmember was able to share her concerns and ask questions and we were able to explain the following important information about our request: 

• The Ambassador Bridge has been handling other classes of hazardous materials for decades. 
  
  
• MOOT, in an expert report in 2012, recommended lifting the restrictions on Class 3 and Class 8 hazardous materials because doing so would result in a net safety benefit.
  
  
• The net safety benefit arises from the reduction in miles driven by commercial motor vehicles lariat with hazardous materials in the United States. The reduction is on the order of 100,000 miles driven annually in the United Strum. This drastically reduces the probability of an accident involving trucks hauling hazardous material on US roads. A similar analysis would apply in Canada.
  
  
• Since MOOT Director Kirk Steudle decided not to lilt the restrictions in 2014. that have been 29 accidents involving trucks hauling hazardous materials between the Ambassador Bridge and the Blue Water Bridge. Fourteen of those accidents involved Class 3 hazardous materials. Some or all of those accidents would have been avoided if the restrictions had been lifted as the MDOT expert report recommended.
  
  
• The Ambassador Bridge fire suppression system has been inspected by both the Windsor Fire Department and the Detroit Fire Department, both of which have deemed the system to be code compliant in the last 90 days.