Oh, I honestly thought you were being facetious. It's not your normal typing style.
Anyway,
- Both sides put up funding money for the construction of the bridge. Same goes for the operation and maintenance, each side managed by its own special public coproration or both/either agree to let a private company manage both/either side (see Detroit-Windsor Tunnel).
- Every vehicle is charged a toll that goes toward the operation and maintenance of the bridge.
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This should answer your question about the environmental impact. In fact, that entire website should answer question about all of the politicis and policy that go behind international bridge building. It's incredibly complicated, and it's been working its way through planning since at least 2002.
So, from my understanding, everything's been tied up as far as environmental impact and location on the American side, and the Canadian side of things is soon to finish up. After that, they still have yet to pick the type of bridge (suspension or cable-stayed). When having to deal with state and national DOT's as well as the DofHS and local municipalities, you can see how this would get complicated.
We're still shooting for a start date for all of the traffic reconfiguration in 2010, and a completion for the entire project sometime in 2013. The private bridge, of course, would be built much faster if it's not further blocked.
Detroit River International Crossing Environmental Impact Statement Summary
Ambassador Bridge Enhancement Environmental Impact Assessment