Ambassador Bridge Connecting Canada, US Reopens After Shut Down To Traffic Over Possible Explosives Threat

Ambassador Bridge Connecting Canada and US Reopens After Shut Down To Traffic Over Possible Explosives Threat

(Photo : Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
U.S. Canadian Border Shut Down For All Nonessential Travel
DETROIT, MICHIGAN - MARCH 18: General view of the Ambassador Bridge that connects Detroit and Windsor, Canada on March 18, 2020 in Detroit, Michigan. The U.S. and Canada have agreed to temporarily restrict all nonessential travel across the border after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared coronavirus (COVID-19) a pandemic. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

Suspected explosives were discovered in a car crossing the Ambassador Bridge in Detroit, prompting officials to block the bridge, connecting the city to Windsor, Ontario, Canada, while conducting an investigation.

According to authorities, Canadian border agents discovered the potential explosives at the secondary check area and notified Windsor police. There was no threat linked with the finding, and authorities think it was a one-time occurrence.

Heavy traffic was encountered Monday morning, with vehicles idling around the bridge on both sides as traffic from both sides is now stopped. Traffic is being diverted to the Windsor Detroit Tunnel and Blue Water Bridge, USA Today reported.

Passengers urged to use alternative routes after bridge shuts down

According to accounts from the site, Windsor police's explosives squad sent a robot to help with the investigation, and bridge workers were instructed to quit work.

The Canada Border Services Agency stated in a statement to the Free Press that it urges passengers to use nearby ports of entry and continues to monitor the situation with emergency personnel.

According to police, the driver of the involved car has been arrested, awaiting further investigation, and is presently in the custody of the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA). There are no additional people suspected to have been engaged in this incident, as per CTV News.

According to officers, the area has been evacuated, and the bridge has been closed to incoming traffic from the United States. The Windsor Police Department's Explosive Disposal Unit is looking into the incident. The Ambassador Bridge Company said US-bound traffic "has always been accessible for travelers and will remain open for anyone seeking to cross into the United States."

A CBSA notice stated that arriving travelers should explore alternative ports of entry to cross the border. The driver of the involved car has been arrested, awaiting further investigation, and is presently in the custody of the CBSA, according to police. There are no additional people suspected to have been engaged in this event.

Ambassador bridge exits from nearby highway were closed

Officers confirmed the area had been evacuated and the bridge had been closed to incoming traffic from the United States. The Windsor Police Department's Explosive Disposal Unit is looking into the incident.

As bridge workers were instructed to quit work, the police's explosives squad allegedly sent a robot to investigate the situation further. Trade between the two nations is dependent on the bridge. Windsor police granted the international bridge the green light at 12 p.m. local time, but traffic was still being rerouted for safety and security reasons.

Several dozen trucks were backed up the length of city blocks on the US side of the bridge early Monday afternoon. The bridge's exits from a neighboring highway were closed.

Mustanfar Ahmed, a trucker from Windsor, claimed he had been waiting for more than three hours to return home after transporting peppers to Ohio. He stated that he had inquired several times but that no one could tell him when he would be permitted to pass, The Strait Times reported.