By Laura Weber, Michigan Public Radio Network
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wkar/local-wkar-981066.mp3
LANSING, MI –
Officials from Governor Rick Snyder's administration say they would like to have a deal on a new bridge between Detroit and Canada reached before the end of the year.
As Michigan Public Radio's Laura Weber reports, that means many Republican lawmakers who are on the fence about the project could be forced to make a decision soon.
AUDIO:
Lieutenant Governor Brian Calley, who is spearheading the governor's effort to build the bridge, says he has not counted heads recently to see who in the Legislature supports a new bridge project. But he says the only count he cares about is the final vote in the House and Senate.
Most lawmakers, especially Republicans--who are in control of the Legislature -have yet to take a position on the bridge issue, citing misinformation from both sides of the debate. Senate Majority Leader Randy Richardville says he won't bring the bridge issue up for a vote if most Republicans are not on board.
But Calley hinted last week that there could be a handful of ways the governor's administration could get the bridge built without the Legislature's approval. It's unclear what those methods would be. But that may be the direction the bridge project goes in if the Snyder administration cannot find the votes this year.