If you're heading to Michigan over the next couple of days, you may want to give yourself some extra time.
Thursday is American Thanksgiving Day, which is always a busy day in the city of Detroit. A crowd of about a million people is expected to attend America's Thanksgiving Parade. Tens of thousands more will then head to Ford Field for the traditional NFL game between the Detroit Lions and the Chicago Bears. With these two events combined, commuters may expect delays at the Windsor-Detroit Tunnel and the Ambassador Bridge.
Street closures may hamper movement in downtown Detroit Thursday morning, as the parade steps off on Woodward Avenue at Kirby Street near the Detroit Institute of Arts. It will then travel south on Woodward to the television presentation area and reviewing stand in Campus Martius, then end at Woodward and Congress Street in the financial district.
There will also be additional traffic to Michigan on Friday, as hearty shoppers converge on malls for Black Friday specials. Interstate 94 from Detroit to Ann Arbor will also see additional traffic on Saturday, as college football fans head to the game between the University of Michigan and the Ohio State University.
The tunnel will be open continuously throughout the four-day Thanksgiving weekend. It had been periodically closed to complete a major restoration project and will close again during the overnight hours of Thursday, December 5.
For complete information on Windsor-Detroit Tunnel conditions, visit their official website.
The route for the 2019 America's Thanksgiving Parade in Detroit. Map courtesy The Parade Company.