A report on two inspections of the Ambassador Bridge since September 2008 parallels previous findings that the 80-year-old international span was structurally sound but requires ongoing work to curtail corrosion and other deterioration.

The report released to the media Thursday by the Detroit International Bridge Co. addresses inspections conducted from Sept. 29-Oct. 10, 2008, and Feb. 23-25, 2009 by engineering consultants Modjeski and Masters Inc. of Mechanicsburg, Pa.

U.S. Rep. John Dingell, D-Mich., made the firm's 2007 report public last month after a federal judge denied a request by the bridge company to keep the report secret. Dingell obtained the report under the Freedom of Information Act.

Phil Frame, a spokesman for the private company that owns the bridge connecting Detroit and Windsor, Ontario, said the company did not release the 2007 report because of a written confidentiality agreement with the government.

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