The iconic Ambassador Bridge tower sign is seen on October 28, 2019. Photo by Mark Brown/Blackburn News.The iconic Ambassador Bridge tower sign is seen on October 28, 2019. Photo by Mark Brown/Blackburn News.
Windsor

UPDATE: Ambassador Bridge reopens after protest cleared

One of the most vital trade routes in North America has reopened.

Windsor Police continue to conduct enforcement on Huron Church Road in Windsor, so drivers will not be able to access that route from the E.C. Row Expressway or Wyandotte Street West.  Some of the east-west secondary roads that intersect Huron Church are also closed.

The Detroit International Bridge Company reported late Sunday night that the Ambassador Bridge had been reopened to full traffic flow, after a protest which snarled the Windsor side of the span was cleared Sunday.

A statement from the Detroit International Bridge Company announces the reopening of the Ambassador Bridge to traffic, February 13, 2022. A statement from the Detroit International Bridge Company announces the reopening of the Ambassador Bridge to traffic, February 13, 2022.

Traffic on the span had been greatly reduced since the protest began Monday. Transport trucks and other vehicles had blockaded Huron Church Road to protest vaccine mandates. During that time, no traffic entered Canada from the United States, and a lane was left open heading into Detroit for emergency vehicles.

https://twitter.com/CanBorderSOR/status/1493086613102026753

To end the stalemate, Ontario Premier Doug Ford declared a state of emergency Friday morning, which gave law enforcement additional powers to disperse protests in Detroit and Ottawa. The City of Windsor, along with two international auto associations, filed for and was granted an injunction to order protestors to clear the area.

Police began enforcing the injunction on Saturday, until most of the protestors had left by Sunday morning. The road was finally cleared by early Sunday evening, and police had made a handful of arrests.

Windsor Police Chief Pam Mizuno thanked all law enforcement officers who ensured a peaceful end to the protest.

https://twitter.com/PamMizuno/status/1493051835569029123

 

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