State still mulling proposed Harsens Island bridge plans

Michigan Department of Environmental Quality is still reviewing plans for a proposed bridge to Harsens Island.

Artie Bryson, Clay Township supervisor, said he's received 150 to 200 letters from residents, with the vast majority against the proposed draw bridge.

The Detroit International Bridge Company has applied for a permit from the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality to build a 1,750-foot bascule bridge across the North Channel of the St. Clair River.

Currently the only way to access the island is via boat or Champions Auto Ferry.

Katie Fairchild, an environmental quality analyst with the Department of Environmental Quality's water resource division, said the state has received about 280 written comments, with about 185 of those sent following the March 9 public hearing.

"Next in the process is the continuation of the MDEQ’s review of the proposed impacts, including consideration of the comments received," Fairchild said. "A decision has not yet been made on the proposal."

When a decision will be made was not clear.

Bourke Thomas, a natural resources team leader at engineering firm Atwell, said the state has 150 days from the time it has accepted the project application as complete to make a decision. When the application was deemed complete is something he's still trying to find out. Atwell is working with the DEQ on behalf of the bridge company.

The application was submitted Nov. 25, Thomas said.

The company first proposed the project in 2001. In 2005, the U.S. Coast Guard denied permit requests because that proposal, which included a fixed bridge, would have interfered with clearance requirements.

The DEQ denied a permit request from the Detroit International Bridge Company in 2007, saying it could impact lake sturgeon habitat and spawning, the proposal underestimated the amount of wetland affected, and it would interrupt landowners' access and use of the waterway.

The Detroit International Bridge Company also operates the Ambassador Bridge between Detroit and Windsor. According to county records, the bridge company owner, Manuel "Matty" Moroun, owns property on the island.

Bryson said he doesn't know if the proposal will proceed forward, but said no plans have been submitted to the township for consideration.

"With the people that are doing this, they have deep pockets ... they seem pretty motivated and I'm not sure what their agenda is," he said. "I sent them a letter telling them they're required to get planning approval and permits from Clay Township, but I haven't heard anything back."

Bryson said he does not believe a bridge makes economic sense, and asked why the bridge company would want to provide a bridge for island residents, "out of the kindness of their heart."

"To me it doesn't make economic sense to build a $45 million bridge to service the island," he said. "There has to be an alternative motive and nobody knows what that is."

The proposed bridge would stretch between the Riverview Campground Marina, 4175 Pointe Tremble Road, on the mainland, and just west of the Sunset Harbor Marina, 1784 North Channel Drive, on Harsens Island.

Contact Liz Shepard at (810) 989-6273 or lshepard@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @lvshepard.