Canadian border strike causes massive traffic slowdown on Michigan highways

DETROIT – A strike by Canadian border workers prompted massive highway backups on Friday on I-75 and I-94.

The border remains closed to non-essential travel until Monday.

Read: Strike at Canadian border causes traffic slowdown on Ambassador Bridge and Detroit-Windsor tunnel

Canadian border officials called a strike to rule on Friday. They work, but only in the details of their workday, causing delays that have driven highways back for miles.

Some drivers said they waited two hours to cross the Ambassador Bridge, an hour and 50 minutes to cross the Blue Water Bridge and only 15 minutes for the Detroit-Windsor tunnel, but even a small slowdown means big problems for businesses.

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“This is the worst possible time for an industry downturn to happen,” said Glenn Stevens Jr. “Even though it’s a working situation to rule, with the downturn because the industry has suffered enormous pressure. Our flagship industry, our biggest trading partner, our biggest trading industry is the auto industry and the last thing it needs right now is a disruption. “

Some business owners are concerned that their products will rot in the trucks if they don’t cross the border on time.

“Unfortunately, it’s a very perishable industry. It depends on the commodity and we have products that are sensitive enough that we start to see a decrease in quality, ”said Bill Loupee of Ben B Schwartz & Sons. We don’t have time to have trucks standing at the border for 24 to 48 hours. It is simply not an option.

The strike precedes Canada’s opening of the border to non-essential travelers on Monday, who may have to be prepared to wait while the strike continues.

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Canadian officials said discussions were ongoing, but did not say if there was an end in sight.

Following: US-Canada News