Researchers Assess Economic Impact of Expanding Main Michigan/Ontario Border Crossing; News Conference Nov. 4 in Detroit

A comprehensive new study examining the financial impact of Detroit River border-crossing delays on shippers and the economic health of southeast Michigan and southwestern Ontario will be released at a news conference Tuesday, November 4, 10 a.m. at the Booker T. Washington Business Association, 2885 East Grand Boulevard (at St. Antoine), Detroit. The news conference is hosted by Wayne County Executive Robert A. Ficano and Dr. Michael H. Belzer of Wayne State University and the University of Michigan. Dr. Belzer is the study's lead researcher.

Dr. Belzer is a nationally prominent industrial relations professor who conducted the research with three consultants from Global Insight, a business forecasting firm, and a nationally recognized transportation expert. Their findings link industrial job security and growth in the two regions to a proposed border infrastructure improvement.

Wayne County Executive Robert Ficano will comment on the regional economic condition resulting from border-crossing problems and offer his suggestions for improvement.

Printed and CD-ROM copies of the report, titled "The Economic Effect of Adequate Border-Crossing Infrastructure," will be distributed at the news conference along with background data.

The researchers, who specialize in transportation, shipping costs, and systems, analyzed the long-range effect on job retention, hiring and manufacturing costs of a plan to relieve truck backups at the Detroit-Windsor border. Governments on both sides of the border currently are reviewing proposed transportation improvements that will shape each region's economy for decades, with a major impact on just-in-time deliveries for auto assembly plants.

The Detroit River Tunnel Partnership commissioned the study. Belzer, who became a trucking industry scholar after eight years as a tanker truck driver, is professor of industrial relations at Wayne's College of Urban, Labor and Metropolitan Affairs and a researcher at U-M's Institute of Labor and Industrial Relations. Global Insight conducts economic forecasts for business, financial and government organizations worldwide.

PRNewswire -- Oct. 27