Detroit Ferry to Close for Construction

Truckers moving hazardous materials between Detroit and Windsor, Ontario, will have to take a long detour beginning Nov. 23.

The Detroit-Windsor Truck Ferry, which shuttles high-wide, heavy and hazardous trucks across the Detroit River, announced it will suspend operations between that date and Feb. 15, 2010, to allow construction of a new dock and terminal in Windsor.

Without a direct route between Detroit and Windsor, trucks will have to cross into Canada at the Blue Water Bridge between Port Huron, Mich., and Sarnia, Ontario, a 156 mile round trip, said Gregg Ward, vice president of the ferry company. The ferry operates literally in the shadow of the Ambassador Bridge, but hazmat is banned from the bridge.

Ward said it’s the first time the ferry has stopped running in its 19 years in business. The company recently received an $8.8 million infrastructure improvement grant from Transport Canada and the Ontario Ministry of Transport for the Windsor terminal construction. Improvements include a new dock, concrete pavement in its lot, and improved lighting and security.

“It's not a huge project but it's a great project for us,” Ward said.

The ferry now runs 10 trips a day, and the improvements should allow the ferry to increase its frequency, Ward said. One of Canada’s interests in supporting the project is to provide relief for the Ambassador Bridge. Bridge officials recently announced a multi-year program to replace the deck on the 80-year-old span.

“There is no alternative in Detroit for a general tractor-trailer,” Ward said. “Something happens to the Ambassador Bridge, there's Port Huron, and there's us.”

Contact R.G. Edmonson at bedmonson@joc.com.