Motor City Electric Co. and Motor City Electric Utilities performed extensive electrical services to create the Ambassador Gateway. Located on the Ambassador Bridge to Canada, the Gateway is a crucial feeder route for international travel. The $230 million Gateway project was designed to ease traffic congestion and safety at the busiest global border crossing for trade in North America. The completed Gateway keeps commercial trucks off local streets as they enter the U.S. from Canada.

Lighting & Traffic Signals

The project included street lighting and traffic signal work along I-96 and I-75 and freeway entrance and exit ramps. The Michigan Department of Transportation and the Detroit Public Lighting Department coordinated the project. MCE and MCEU installed numerous electrical systems and equipment. Including the following:

• Underground and overhead cable
• Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) devices
• Closed Circuit Television (CCTV)
• Microwave Vehicle Detection Systems (MVDS)
• Dynamic Message Signs (DMS)

The installation also included lighting for the Bagley Street Pedestrian Bridge.

More than 53 Linear Miles of Wire & Cable

Most noteworthy is the staggering volume of materials required for the project. We installed almost 200,000 linear feet of various wire types, over 81,000 feet of PLD lead cable, and more than 10,000 feet of encased conduit. Our splicing and termination specialists made nearly 300 lead cable splices. Our crews installed 77 wood utility poles, 140 light poles and fixtures, and 300 precast electrical structures.

The Ambassador Gateway project is to the U.S. side of the border what the Hon. Herb Gray Parkway project (completed by MCE subsidiary Mid South Contractors) is to the Canadian side.