The Ambassador Bridge between Detroit and Ontario, which closed overnight on Monday and reopened to slow-moving traffic on Tuesday, was once again blocked by protesting Canadian truck drivers on Wednesday.
The bridge is part of the busiest and most commercially valuable border crossing between Canada and the United States, so it has become a pivotal scene in the Freedom Convoy saga.
The Detroit News quoted growing concern on both sides of the border about the economic impact of the Ambassador Bridge blockade:
“Any delay or disruption in the supply chain creates problems, not just for agriculture but the state economy,” said Chuck Lippstreu, president of the Michigan Agri-Business Association, which represents businesses that support farmers, early in the closure.”
Overflow traffic is beginning to clog alternate routes like the Blue Water Bridge, where personal and commercial traffic is now backed up for miles, with wait times to cross the bridge exceeding four and a half hours on Wednesday morning:
Currently on I-94 E heading toward the Blue Water Bridge…
Truck traffic is moving at a snail’s pace. It’s due to the Ambassador Bridge partial closure. Drivers are trying to enter Canada from Port Huron. @FOX2News pic.twitter.com/hHeLH8ZlBl
— Brandon Hudson (@BHudTV) February 9, 2022
“I’ve already heard from automakers and food grocers. This is really a serious cause for concern,” Canadian Transport Minister Omar Alghabra told the BBC on Tuesday.
Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens and Police Chief Pam Mizuno held a press conference on Wednesday in which they said about a hundred protesters are blocking the bridge with 50 to 75 vehicles.
Windsor police would not discuss their plan to reopen the bridge with reporters, insisting their department “respects the rights of Canadians to exercise their freedom of expression and peacefully assemble” and pledging to maintain “open communications” with protest organizers.