Transportation Dept. Silenced for New Detroit Bridge - WLNS TV 6 Lansing - Jackson | Your Local News Leader

As Governor Rick Snyder continues to plan for a second bridge between Detroit and Windsor, he has been unable to use the expertise in his Transportation Department because the director has been told by the GOP Legislature to stay out of the debate.

The assumption could be made that the Governor's Transportation Department Director would be on the ground floor of any bridge planning, but no.

The MDOT Director has been silenced by the GOP Senate and House from doing any work connected to the bridge process. They wrote the intent language into the MDOT budget bill.

6 News went to former GOP Senator Alan Cropsey for an explanation, but he refused to be interviewed.

We tried to contact the GOP Chair of House Transportation and he was unavailable.

A local democrat who sits on Hhouse Transportation says she's been censored by the republicans and regarding the muzzling of Director Stuedle...

"I worry about putting that intent language in the bill to prohibit someone from doing research, speaking to the governor or speaking to the legislature. That's how we craft good public policy when you have a bunch of people around the table not just people that agree," said Representative Barb Byrum with the House Transportation Committee. 

6 News will continue to seek the other side of this story when lawmakers return July 18th.