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For anyone who isn’t native to Detroit, it may be surprising to find out that our closest border crossing to Canada is actually south of the state’s lines. On this border lies the Ambassador Bridge, which is a large suspension bridge between Detroit and Windsor, Ontario. Over this bridge travels a quarter of all US-Canada trade. The Ambassador bridge has a huge economic benefit to both Michigan and Canada, in its location at the American/Canadian border.
As the busiest border crossing in Canada, the Ambassador bridge sees 8,000 trucks cross the bridge every day. It is expected that over the next 30 years, this traffic will increase by 128%. In 2016, truck crossings between Detroit-Windsor rose 8 percent in the first quarter. The total number of US-Canada truck crossings rose to 3.2%.
In recent years, the bridge has also been experiencing a significant number of backups. In 2010, the cost of truck delays at the border accounted for 60% of the total cost of transborder security. These backups in particular are frequently caused by the closure of toll booths.
Backups are dangerous, as the traffic spilling out onto I-75 has been shown to cause some serious traffic collisions. These backups are also costly, so it’s become a priority of WERCC, or the Windsor-Essex Regional Chamber of Commerce to implement changes. It can be difficult to cross the bridge, as often inspection lanes are closed (though more have been built in order to increase capacity). It is believed that Canadian officials wish to prove the need for another bridge (as in the Gordie Howe bridge, scheduled for building in the upcoming years) by closing off specific toll booths.
The balance between security and trade calls for efficient border crossing, and as the rate of trucking increases crossing the US-Canada border, it will be necessary to implement more effective processes in order to accommodate the ever-growing influx of trade.
Evans Distribution Systems is located just a few minutes away from the Ambassador Bridge, and this prime location helps greatly with our supply chain process. Get in touch today if you’d like to learn more about how our location makes us a great candidate for your logistics needs.