And the Ambassador Bridge, which separates the US and its neighbor to the north, may be the most economically important one-and-a-half miles of roadway in the Western Hemisphere. Until this past week it got very little attention for the crucial role it plays in the economies of the two nations.
A total of $664 billion worth of goods moved between the two countries last year, according to US Commerce Department data. The state of Michigan estimates 30% of the total moved over the privately-owned Ambassador Bridge linking Detroit and Windsor, Ontario. An estimated 10,000 commercial vehicles cross the bridge daily.
But not this past week.
Protesters angered by vaccine mandates in Canada essentially shut down the bridge starting Monday night, and halted the flow of goods over the bridge by blockading the ramps on the Canadian side. Business groups sounded alarms about the massive costs…
