[lenaitch]

What a mess. Putin, Xi and Un are surely besides themselves with glee.

I suspect Putin, Xi and Un are like most Americans and would have trouble finding Canada on a map

Is CBSA still going to staff that bridge? Seems like a waste of resources, given they have the capacity without it - and it's poor placement.

Direct connection to the 401 vs chugging along a city street with multiple traffic lights. Hmmm.
.

 

[innsertnamehere]

Ambassador will have Duty-Free and cheap gas still, which Gordie won't, so I suspect that will drive traffic..

Similar to Niagara as well, the border wait time will matter more than a few traffic lights as well. Rainbow Bridge ultimately does good business despite no direct highway access because people just go to the bridge with the shortest wait.

 

[crs1026]

I haven't gone looking for an official source, but I suspect the volume and pattern of truck traffic outweighs the volume and pattern of autos.

The new bridge is likely to be the better choice for truckers. Hence the sensitivity to the trade issue.

Personally, I stop and gas up at Tilbury and try to blow through the border without a rest stop. But others with stronger bladders may make it to the bridge before stopping.

- Paul

 

[innsertnamehere]

I haven't gone looking for an official source, but I suspect the volume and pattern of truck traffic outweighs the volume and pattern of autos.

The new bridge is likely to be the better choice for truckers. Hence the sensitivity to the trade issue.

Personally, I stop and gas up at Tilbury and try to blow through the border without a rest stop. But others with stronger bladders may make it to the bridge before stopping.

- Paul

Truckers still like cheap gas. The cheap gas is only available Canada-bound though, so I suspect US-bound traffic will suffer a worse fate.

As a whole the Ambassador's traffic is going to suffer terribly, especially if they don't adjust their pricing structure. It just won't be a 100% decline.

Edit: Looking at the Ambassador's website, they will finally be accepting EZ-Pass soon. One small silver lining. I hope Gordie Howe does as well - I have an NY EZ-pass as I drive on I90 a few times a year typically and there are no account fees for it.

 

[nfitz]

The ambassador is obviously going to still operate - especially since the Morouns pay for the operating costs of it.

I imagine staffing levels will be far lower though as most traffic will reroute to the Gordie.

The Ambassador jacked it's toll again for those not aware - now up to $9.00 USD - nearly double what it was ($5) in 2020. Morouns are trying to squeeze the last blood from the stone before they lose it for good.

I suspect Gordie will be more like $4 or $5, similar to the Blue Water Bridge, by comparison.

Those all sound pretty cheap to me, compared to my 407 bills.

 

[Haljackey]

Ambassador will have Duty-Free and cheap gas still, which Gordie won't, so I suspect that will drive traffic..

No duty free at Gordie Howe? Very disappointing I was expecting a massive store with great selection. It's my favorite part of crossing the border - getting a nice Whisky or whatever for cheap.

The one at the 405 (Queenston) has the best selection IMO. My shopping there takes longer than whatever girls I am traveling with. Stereotype I know, but only 1L can be duty free, so it's always a tough choice which one to ultimately decide on.

 

[lenaitch]

Depending on which study you source, 5-6000 Canadians cross the border for employment daily. I couldn't find any data for US citizens working on our side. Not huge but I suspect most would still use the Ambassador crossing.

 

[innsertnamehere]

No duty free at Gordie Howe? Very disappointing I was expecting a massive store with great selection. It's my favorite part of crossing the border - getting a nice Whisky or whatever for cheap.

The one at the 405 (Queenston) has the best selection IMO. My shopping there takes longer than whatever girls I am traveling with. Stereotype I know, but only 1L can be duty free, so it's always a tough choice which one to ultimately decide on.

nope.

The big money in border crossing is commercial traffic, which will almost universally go to the Gordie.

Passenger traffic is a lot lower (far more passenger traffic crosses in Niagara than Michigan) - but still significant, and I suspect much of that will go to Gordie as well, particularly if tolls are cheaper.

The Canadian side of the border crossing has 50% more customs lanes for cars too (12 vs 8 at the Ambassador), so it will have far more capacity (and shorter resulting wait times).