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US-Canada bridge shut down over potential explosives threat

October 4, 2021

Employees and residents were asked to leave as traffic backed up and police in Windsor, Canada, deployed a robot to investigate. The bridge is the busiest land border crossing for trade in North America.

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Trucks on the Ambassador Bridge that connects the USA and Canada
Some 27% of all goods transported between the US and Canada are moved across the Ambassador Bridge in DetroitImage: Paul Sancya/AP Photo/picture alliance

The Ambassador Bridge, which spans the Detroit River to connect the US and Canada between Detroit, Michigan, and Windsor, Ontario, was closed in both directions on Monday as authorities investigated what was believed to be an explosives threat.

Police in Windsor announced the closure of the bridge Monday morning and released a statement that the area near the bridge had been evacuated. A tweet from the department also said that its Explosive Disposal Unit was on the scene.

 

Witnesses say the department deployed a robot to investigate. So far, few details have been given as to the potential threat. Windsor Police say Canadian Border Services alerted them to the discovery of possible explosives in a vehicle at an inspection area at the bridge and that an investigation was ongoing. 

No specific threats had been made, according to Windsor police, who gave an update stating that the driver of the vehicle was in custody and that no other individuals were thought to be involved in the incident.

Traffic was being redirected to the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel and the Blue Water Bridge between Port Huron, Michigan, and Sarnia, Ontario, about 70 miles (110 kilometers) to the northeast during the closure.

Windsor Police said traffic resumed in the southbound direction from Canada, with only one available access point, roughly two hours after the initial closure.

The Ambassador Bridge, a privately owned four-lane suspension toll bridge that opened in 1929, is the busiest international land crossing in North America in terms of trade volume.

The US Department of Transportation (USDOT) says the bridge accommodates 27% of annual two-way trade between Canada and the US. In 2019, total two-way trade between the neighboring countries amounted to nearly $720 billion, according to Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) statistics.

Aerial view of the Ambassador Bridge in Detroit
The privately owned toll bridge across the Detroit River is the largest international land border crossing in North AmericaImage: Jim West/ZUMAPRESS/picture alliance

js/msh (AP, Reuters)

A previous version of this article misstated the value of trade between the United States and Canada in 2019. The correct value, approximately $720 billion, has been inserted. DW regrets the error.