F the DIBC

a couple days ago i wrote about MCS as a symbol for Detroit. the way that it near perfectly reflects the state of the city. today i want to talk about the building itself.

as i said, the building has always been a crumbling sign post to me and many other metro Detroiters. it has become a hub of Detroit's urban exploration. you can find photos and videos online in any number of sites from those who have sneaked into the building to explore its crumbling grandeur. it is no longer a hub to transit or commerce.

with a price tag of roughly $80 million for renovations, it may be more of a liability than an asset. but the responsibility of that falls largely on the owner of the building: Detroit International Bridge Co., the owners of the Ambassador Bridge. big surprise that the company that is working against the City, the State and the Canadian government has let one of Detroit's treasures decay.

they missed the boat in not making a deal with one of the casinos. that location would have helped the Corktown neighborhood that lost the Tigers to Comerica Park 8 years ago. apparently DIBC only acts in their own best interest without regard for the community in which it exists. unwilling to deal the building, or absorb costs and make a lease deal, why would the casinos push to build there when land in the city is so cheap and they can build whatever they want brand new.

the Detroit Economic Growth Corp. says the only real option is to raze the building. thats the economic reality. that $80 million renovation costs more than it would to build a similar new building. the DIBC has let the building rot and now owns a decrepit signpost of a building that is now more of a liability than and asset. all the DIBC had to do was occupy the building in order to avoid this fate. had they moved their offices in and rented out other floors the price tag would be much less to make it a viable option for sale or renovation. simply living there and maintaining the structure over the last 20 years would have avoided this state.

but the DIBC has been charging thousands of people a day to cross its bridge that is still in disrepair. anyone who has recently crossed the bridge can attest to the poor conditions of the bridge. granted it is 80 years old, but obviously the DIBC has the money to fix it and wants to keep its racket going as it has proposed building its own new bridge at its own cost.

now the DIBC is poised to profit from its irresponsibility. the state passed a bill making Michigan and Detroit very appealing spots to film makers.(freep) Hollywood loves MCS and its faded glory. its is the perfect 'post apocalyptic' setting for movies like last year's Transformers. so now the DIBC will be charging Hollywood to make movies in the building it has ruined. it is once again poised to profit from the community it has ignored.

the DIBC has ignored recommendations of Detroit, Michigan, and Canada and pursued its own goals. the DIBC has allowed Michigan Central Station to crumble and deteriorate to an unusable state. the DIBC is using money from its operations to screw the very people that it is serving. the DIBC is a model of corporate irresponsibility. i hope that MDOT and Canada get together and build a new span and condemn the Ambassador and force the DIBC out of business. Fuck the Detroit International Bridge Co.