Ambassador Bridge reopens to traffic after police investigate explosives threat

Traffic on the busy Ambassador Bridge from Canada to US resumed after two hours of halt following "possible explosive" threats in the area. The Windsor Police has notified the resumption of north-bound vehicles with access off of Wyandotte Street West only. "#AmbassadorBridge from Canada to the U.S. is now open with access off of Wyandotte Street West only," they wrote on Twitter. In the latest updates, Windsor Police arrested the driver of the involved vehicle. He will be detained in the custody of CBSA until further investigation is completed. "No other persons are believed to be involved in this incident," WPS said.

The Ambassador Bridge that connects Windsor, Ontario, and Detroit was completed evacuated and shut down closed after police located possible explosives in the area, the Associated Press reported. "WPS on the scene near the Ambassador Bridge for possible explosives located in the area. The area has been evacuated & the bridge is shut down for the incoming US to traffic only. Please avoid the area. Our Explosive Disposal Unit is attending," Windsor Police (WPS) wrote on Twitter about 15 hours ago.

According to AP, the police were updated about the threats by Canada Border Service Agency. Following the tip-off, the Explosive Disposal Unit and WPS located vehicles loaded with possible explosives during their secondary inspection in the bridge complex. "CBSA alerted WPS after possible explosives were located inside a vehicle in the secondary inspection area," WPS added.

However, the authorities later clarified that "no threat was associated to this & this is believed to be an isolated incident. The safety & security of staff & the public is paramount; as such traffic has been re-routed." Until the threats were mitigated, north and south- bound vehicles were rerouted to the Windsor-Detroit Tunnel and the Blue Water Bridge, WPS wrote on Twitter.

The Ambassador Bridge

The Ambassador Bridge is the busiest international crossing in North America. Opened in the year 1929, the construction took about two and a half years to complete. According to ambassadorbridge.com, it is the largest suspension bridge in the world with a total length of 7,500 feet. More than 40,000 commuters, tourists, and truck drivers carrying $323 million worth of goods cross the Windsor-Detroit border each day.

With inputs from AP

Image: AP