View source for Detroit–Windsor tunnel

{{Short description|International tunnel between United States and Canada}}
{{About|the highway tunnel|the railroad tunnel|Michigan Central Railway Tunnel}}{{Infobox tunnel
|name= Detroit–Windsor tunnel
|image= DWTunnel.JPG
|image_size=300px
|caption=
|official_name=
|also_known_as=
|lanes= 2
|operator= Detroit-Windsor Tunnel Company, LLC (Detroit Plaza) & [http://www.wdtunnel.ca/ Windsor Detroit Borderlink Limited (Windsor Plaza)]
|owner= Cities of [[Detroit, Michigan|Detroit]] and [[Windsor, Ontario|Windsor]]
|length= {{convert|5160|ft|m}}
|width= {{convert|22|ft|m}}
|height= {{convert|12|ft|8|in|m}}
|traffic= Automotive
|opened = {{start date and age|November 3, 1930}}
|closed=
|toll= US$6.75/C$6.75 (autos travelling into US)<br>
US$7.50/C$7.50 (autos travelling into Canada)<ref name="WDBL"/>
|crosses=[[Detroit River]]|status=Open|start=[[Detroit|Detroit, Michigan]]|end=[[Windsor, Ontario]]|vpd=12,000|depth_below_water={{convert|45|ft|m}}|engineer=[[Parsons Brinckerhoff|Parsons, Klapp, Brinckerhoff & Douglas]]|startwork=1928}}

The '''Detroit–Windsor tunnel''' ({{langx|fr|tunnel de Détroit-Windsor}}), also known as the '''Detroit–Canada tunnel,'''<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.windsorpubliclibrary.com/?page_id=42341|title=The Detroit-Canada Tunnel {{!}} Windsor Public Library|website=www.windsorpubliclibrary.com|publisher=Windsor Public Library|language=en-US|access-date=2017-09-21}}</ref> is an international [[highway]] tunnel connecting the cities of [[Detroit]], [[Michigan]], [[United States]] and [[Windsor, Ontario|Windsor]], [[Ontario]], [[Canada]]. It is the second-busiest crossing between the United States and Canada, the first being the [[Ambassador Bridge]], which also connects the two cities, which are situated on the [[Detroit River]].

==Overview==
The tunnel is {{convert|5160|ft|m|0}} long (nearly a mile). At its lowest point, the two-lane roadway is {{convert|75|ft|m|0}} below the river surface.<ref name="DWT"/> There is a wide [[no-anchor zone]] enforced on river traffic around the tunnel.

The tunnel has three main levels. The bottom level brings in fresh air under pressure, which is forced into the mid level, where the traffic lanes are located. The ventilation system forces vehicle exhaust into the third level, which is then vented at each end of the tunnel.<ref name="DWT"/>

==History==
=== Construction ===
Construction began on the tunnel in the summer of 1928.<ref name="DWT">{{cite web |title=History |url=https://www.dwtunnel.com/history/ |website=Detroit Windsor Tunnel |access-date=18 April 2023 |archive-date=18 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230418064045/https://www.dwtunnel.com/history/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

The Detroit–Windsor tunnel was built by the firm Parsons, Klapp, Brinckerhoff and Douglas  (the same firm that built the [[Holland Tunnel]]).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.collectstocks.com/detcantuncom.html|title=Detroit & Canada Tunnel Company 1931|work=Scripophily|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080603221733/http://www.collectstocks.com/detcantuncom.html|archive-date=2008-06-03}}</ref> The executive engineer was Burnside A. Value, the engineer of design was Norwegian-American engineer Søren Anton Thoresen, while fellow Norwegian-American [[Ole Singstad]] consulted, and designed the ventilation.<ref>{{citation|title=Saga in Steel and Concrete: Norwegian Engineers in America|last=Bjork|first=Kenneth|publisher=Norwegian-American Historical Association|year=1947|pages=191–202|url=http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/NORWAY/2003-05/1051983030|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080603213639/http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/NORWAY/2003-05/1051983030|archive-date=June 3, 2008
}}</ref><ref>[http://scandinavian-museum.org/genealogy.htm Scandinavian East Coast Museum, Genealogical Listings] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080509161039/http://scandinavian-museum.org/genealogy.htm |date=2008-05-09 }}</ref>

Three different methods were used to construct the tunnel.<ref name="ASCE">{{cite news |last1=Jones |first1=Jenny |title=An International Connection: The Detroit-Windsor Tunnel |url=https://ascelibrary.org/doi/pdf/10.1061/ciegag.0000546 |access-date=20 April 2023 |work=Civil Engineering |publisher=ASCE |date=Jan 2011 |volume=81 |pages=44–45 |doi=10.1061/ciegag.0000546 |archive-date=20 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230420003854/https://ascelibrary.org/doi/pdf/10.1061/ciegag.0000546 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="DWT"/> The approaches were constructed using the [[cut-and-cover]] method. Beyond the approaches, a [[tunneling shield]] method was used to construct hand-bored tunnels. Most of the river section used the [[immersed tube]] method in which steam-powered [[dredgers]] dug a trench in the river bottom and then covered over with {{convert|4|to|20|ft}} of mud. The nine {{convert|250|ft}}-long tubes measured {{convert|35|ft}} in diameter.<ref name="ASCE"/>

The Detroit–Windsor tunnel was completed in 1930 at a total cost of approximately $25 million (around ${{Formatprice|{{inflation|US-GDP|25000000|1930}}}} in {{Inflation-year|US-GDP}} dollars).{{inflation-fn|US-GDP}}<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=qOIDAAAAMBAJ&dq=Popular+Science+1930+plane+%22Popular+Mechanics%22&pg=PA889 "A $25,000,000 Mile Tunnel" ''Popular Mechanics'', December 1930, pp 889-890] detailed article with photos and drawings on construction</ref> It was the third underwater vehicular tunnel constructed in the United States,<ref>{{Cite book|title = Reference Guide to Famous Engineering Landmarks of the World: Bridges, Tunnels, Dams, Roads and Other Structures|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=Jox4CAAAQBAJ|publisher = Routledge|date = 2015-04-22|isbn = 9781135932619|language = en|first = Lawrence|last = Berlow}}</ref> following the [[Holland Tunnel]], between [[Jersey City, New Jersey]], and downtown [[Manhattan]], [[New York State|New York]], and the [[Posey Tube]], between [[Oakland, California|Oakland]] and [[Alameda, California|Alameda]], [[California]].

Its creation followed the opening of cross-border rail freight tunnels including the [[St. Clair Tunnel]] between [[Port Huron, Michigan]], and [[Sarnia]], [[Ontario]], in 1891 and the [[Michigan Central Railway Tunnel]] between Detroit and Windsor in 1910.

The cities of Detroit and Windsor hold the distinction of jointly creating both the second and third tunnels between two nations in the world. The Detroit–Windsor tunnel is the world's third tunnel between two nations, and the first international vehicle tunnel. The [[Michigan Central Railway Tunnel]], also under the Detroit River, was the second tunnel between two nations. The [[St. Clair Tunnel]], between [[Port Huron, Michigan]], and Sarnia, Ontario, under the St. Clair River, was the first.

===Operations since 2007===
In 2007, billionaire [[Manuel Moroun]], owner of the nearby [[Ambassador Bridge]], attempted to purchase the American side of the tunnel.<ref name=":0">{{cite news|title = City of Windsor moves to secure tunnel's long-term fate|url = http://blogs.windsorstar.com/news/city-of-windsor-moves-to-secure-tunnels-long-term-fate|date = July 27, 2015|first = Dave|last = Battagello|newspaper = The [[Windsor Star]]|access-date = 2015-10-01|archive-date = 2015-10-02|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151002084826/http://blogs.windsorstar.com/news/city-of-windsor-moves-to-secure-tunnels-long-term-fate|url-status = dead}}</ref> In 2008, the City of Windsor controversially attempted to purchase the American side for $75 million, but the deal fell through after a scandal involving then-Detroit Mayor [[Kwame Kilpatrick]].<ref name=":0" /><ref>DetNews.com. [http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080729/METRO/807290435/1361 Council overrides mayor's veto on Detroit-Windsor tunnel sale.] July 29, 2008.{{dead link|fix-attempted=yes|date=January 2019}}</ref>

Soon afterward, the city's finances were badly hit in a recession and the tunnel's future was in question. Following Detroit's July 2013 [[Detroit bankruptcy|bankruptcy filing]], Windsor Mayor [[Eddie Francis]] said that his city would consider purchasing Detroit's half of the tunnel if it was offered for sale.<ref>{{cite news |first= John |last= Gallagher |url= http://www.freep.com/article/20130719/NEWS01/307190099/ |title= Windsor mayor: We would consider buying tunnel to Canada if it's sold in bankruptcy |work= Detroit Free Press |date= July 19, 2013 |access-date= July 19, 2013 |archive-date= November 2, 2013 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20131102173121/http://www.freep.com/article/20130719/NEWS01/307190099/ |url-status= dead }}</ref>

On July 25, 2013, the lessor, manager and operator of the tunnel, Detroit Windsor Tunnel LLC, and its parent company, American Roads, LLC, voluntarily filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York.<ref name="bankruptcy">{{cite web|url=http://chapter11cases.com/american-roads-llc-ownerlessor-operator-of-toll-roads-in-alabama-and-the-detroit-windsor-tunnel-files-for-bankruptcy/|title=American Roads, LLC – Owner/Lessor & Operator of Toll Roads in Alabama and the Detroit–Windsor Tunnel – Files for Bankruptcy – Chapter 11 Cases|access-date=2013-07-25|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130725140530/http://chapter11cases.com/american-roads-llc-ownerlessor-operator-of-toll-roads-in-alabama-and-the-detroit-windsor-tunnel-files-for-bankruptcy/|archive-date=2013-07-25|url-status=dead}}</ref>  The American lease was eventually purchased by Syncora Guarantee, a [[Bermuda]]-based insurance company.<ref name=":0" /> Soon afterward, the lease with Detroit was extended to 2040.<ref name=":0" /> Both Syncora and Windsor retained the Windsor-Detroit Tunnel Corporation to manage the daily operations and upkeep of the tunnel. In May 2018, Syncora sold its interest in American Roads, LLC for $220 million to DIF Capital Partners, a [[Netherlands|Dutch]]-based investment fund management company specializing in infrastructure assets.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Gallagher |first1=John |title=Company that operates Detroit-Windsor Tunnel is sold |url=https://www.freep.com/story/money/2018/05/07/detroit-windsor-tunnel-parent-company-sold/585926002/ |access-date=22 July 2021 |work=Detroit Free Press |publisher=Michigan.com |date=7 May 2018 |archive-date=22 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210722081502/https://www.freep.com/story/money/2018/05/07/detroit-windsor-tunnel-parent-company-sold/585926002/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

A $21.6 million renovation of the tunnel began in October 2017 to replace the aging concrete ceiling, along with other improvements to the infrastructure. Completion of the project was initially scheduled for June 2018,<ref>{{cite news|last1=Ramirez|first1=Charles E.|title=First look at Detroit-Windsor Tunnel renovations|url=http://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/detroit-city/2017/10/26/first-look-detroit-windsor-tunnel-renovations/107021538/|access-date=14 November 2017|work=The Detroit News|date=26 October 2017|archive-date=14 November 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171114202722/http://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/detroit-city/2017/10/26/first-look-detroit-windsor-tunnel-renovations/107021538/|url-status=live}}</ref> but is ongoing as of 2021.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Champion |first1=Brandon |title=Detroit-Windsor Tunnel increasing overnight closures to speed up $22M renovation project |url=https://www.mlive.com/news/2020/05/detroit-windsor-tunnel-increasing-overnight-closures-to-speed-up-22m-renovation-project.html |access-date=22 July 2021 |work=MLive.com |publisher=Advance Local Media LLC |date=15 May 2020 |archive-date=22 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210722081502/https://www.mlive.com/news/2020/05/detroit-windsor-tunnel-increasing-overnight-closures-to-speed-up-22m-renovation-project.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

== Usage ==
The Detroit–Windsor tunnel crosses the [[Canada–United States border]]; an [[International Boundary Commission]] plaque marking the boundary in the tunnel is between flags of the two countries.{{r|clui}} The tunnel is the second-busiest crossing between the United States and Canada after the nearby [[Ambassador Bridge]]. A 2004 Border Transportation Partnership study showed that 150,000 jobs in the region and $13 billion (U.S.) in annual production depend on the Windsor-Detroit international [[border]] crossing.<ref>Detroit Regional Chamber (2006) [http://www.detroitchamber.com/detroiter/articles.asp?cid=7&detcid=531 Detroit/Windsor Border Update: Part I-Detroit River International Crossing Study] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060321130504/http://www.detroitchamber.com/detroiter/articles.asp?cid=7&detcid=531 |date=2006-03-21 }}</ref> Between 2001 and 2005, profits from the tunnel peaked, with the cities receiving over $6 million annually. A steep decline in traffic eliminated profits from the tunnel from 2008 until 2012, with a modest recovery in the years since.<ref name=":0" />

=== Traffic ===
About 13,000 vehicles a day use the tunnel despite having one lane in each direction and not allowing large trucks.<ref name="clui">{{Cite web |url=http://www.clui.org/section/united-divide-a-linear-portrait-usacanada-border-3 |title=Chapter 4: The Watery Boundary |website=United Divide: A Linear Portrait of the USA/Canada Border |publisher=The Center for Land Use Interpretation |publication-date=Winter 2015 |access-date=2017-11-14 |archive-date=2022-02-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220226151839/https://clui.org/section/united-divide-a-linear-portrait-usacanada-border-3 |url-status=live }}</ref> Historically, the tunnel carried a smaller amount of commercial traffic than other nearby crossings because of physical and cargo restraints, as well as limits on accessing roadways.<ref name="Partnership">{{Cite journal|url = http://www.partnershipborderstudy.com/pdf/4-29-10/3-2010-04-29.DRIC.Report.to.Legislature.Appendix.B.pdf|title = Detroit River International Crossing Project Forecast Refresh and Update|date = February 2010|access-date = 1 October 2015|archive-date = 2016-03-04|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160304212707/http://www.partnershipborderstudy.com/pdf/4-29-10/3-2010-04-29.DRIC.Report.to.Legislature.Appendix.B.pdf|url-status = live}}</ref> Passenger automobile traffic on the tunnel increased from 1972, until it peaked in 1999 at just under 10 million vehicle crossings annually.<ref name="Partnership" /> After 1999, automobile crossings through the tunnel declined, dropping under 5 million for the first time in over three decades in 2007.<ref name="Partnership" /> Traffic on the tunnel later recovered slightly in the following years when the economy began to improve after 2008.<ref name=":0" />
{{OSM Location map
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  |shape-color1=#f00
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 |mark-title1 =Detroit–Windsor Tunnel (1930)
 |mark-coord2 ={{Coord|42.319303|-83.058712}}
 |mark-title2 =[[Michigan Central Railway Tunnel]] (1910)
 |mark-coord3 ={{Coord|42.311752|-83.073818}}
 |mark-title3 =[[Ambassador Bridge]] (1929)
 |mark-coord4 ={{Coord|42.2880|-83.0975}} |shape-color4=#faa |shape-outline4=#000
 |mark-title4 =''[[Gordie Howe International Bridge]]'' (est. completion 2025)
 |fullscreen-option=1
 |caption=Crossings of the Detroit River between [[Detroit, Michigan]] and [[Windsor, Ontario]]. Detroit is on the north bank of this stretch of river. Because Detroit is generally north and west of Windsor, people travelling from the United States to Canada travel south.
 |auto-caption=1
}}

===Tolls===
Tolls were last increased on the Canadian side in July 2021, 37% for those using Canadian currency and 11% using American currency.<ref name="Greeted">{{cite news |last1=Schmidt |first1=Doug |title=Reopened border tunnel to greet visitors with higher tolls |url=https://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/other/reopened-border-tunnel-to-greet-visitors-with-higher-tolls/ar-AAMFTdt |access-date=15 February 2022 |work=Windsor Star |agency=MSN |publisher=PostMedia Network |date=28 July 2021 |archive-date=15 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220215080418/https://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/other/reopened-border-tunnel-to-greet-visitors-with-higher-tolls/ar-AAMFTdt |url-status=live }}</ref> Standard tolls for non-commercial Canada-bound vehicles are US$7.50 and C$7.50; United States-bound tolls are also US$6.75 but C$6.75. For frequent crossers, the Nexpress Toll Card for cheaper rates.<ref name="WDBL">{{cite web |title=Toll Rates August 2021 |url=https://www.windsortunnel.com/_files/ugd/96bdb2_23e6ba810d904fa3a1fd30b797742518.pdf |website=windsortunnel.com |publisher=Windsor Detroit Borderlink Limited |access-date=15 February 2022 |archive-date=15 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220215054832/https://www.windsortunnel.com/_files/ugd/96bdb2_23e6ba810d904fa3a1fd30b797742518.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> Commercial vehicles and buses are charged higher rates. Motorcycles, scooters and bicycles are prohibited.<ref name="WDBL"/>

== Features ==

===Tunnel truck for disabled vehicles===
When the tunnel first opened in the 1930s the operators had a unique rescue vehicle to tow out disabled vehicles without having to back in or turn around to perform this role.  The vehicle had two drivers, one facing in the opposite direction of the other.  The vehicle was driven in, the disabled vehicle was hooked up, then the driver facing the other way drove it out.  This emergency vehicle also had {{convert|600|ft}} of water hose with power drive and chemical fire extinguishers.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=9ycDAAAAMBAJ&dq=1930+plane+%22Popular&pg=PA71 "Tunnel Truck Has Two Front Ends."] ''Popular Science'', November 1930, p. 71, bottom of page.</ref>

===CKLW, WJR and the tunnel===
In the late 1960s, Windsor radio station [[CKLW]] AM 800 engineered a wiring setup which has allowed the station's signal to be heard clearly by automobiles traveling through the tunnel.  Currently Detroit radio station [[WJR]] AM 760 can be heard clearly in the tunnel.

===Ventilation===
The upper and lower levels of the tunnel are used as exhaust and intake air ducts.  One hundred-foot ventilation towers{{clarify|Is 100 ft the length, diameter, or what?|date=June 2023}} on both ends of the tunnel enable air exchange once every 90 seconds.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Duffy|first1=Kaylie|title=Today in Engineering History: Subaqueous Detroit-Windsor Tunnel Opens|url=http://www.pddnet.com/blog/2015/11/today-engineering-history-subaqueous-detroit-windsor-tunnel-opens|website=Product Design & Development |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304212424/http://www.pddnet.com/blog/2015/11/today-engineering-history-subaqueous-detroit-windsor-tunnel-opens |archive-date=March 4, 2016}}</ref>

==Photo gallery==
<gallery>
Image:DetroitWindsorTunnelbordercrossing.jpg|The point of international crossing is marked.
Image:Detroitwindsortunnelcdnentrance.jpg|Entering from the Canadian side at Goyeau Street
Image:Detroitsidewindsortunnel.jpg|Entering from the US side at Jefferson Ave
Image:TunnelBusWindsor.jpg|[[Transit Windsor]]'s "tunnel bus" is a municipally operated bus that regularly crosses the border; it waits in Detroit as passengers go through U.S. Customs.
File:Detroit Customs.JPG|[[U.S. Customs and Border Protection]] Checkpoint
File:Detroit-Windsor Tunnel Portal.JPG|Detroit portal of the tunnel
File:Drive through detroit-windsor tunnel.ogv|Video of drive through tunnel from Windsor to Detroit in 2010
</gallery>

==See also==
* [[Ambassador Bridge]]
* [[Gordie Howe International Bridge]], a second bridge crossing currently under construction
* [[Detroit International Riverfront]]
* [[Transportation in metropolitan Detroit]]
* [[Detroit–Windsor]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Detroit-Windsor Tunnel}}
* [http://www.wdtunnel.ca/ Windsor Detroit Borderlink Limited (Windsor Plaza)]
* [http://www.dwtunnel.com/ Detroit Windsor Tunnel LLC (Detroit Plaza)]
* [https://www.citywindsor.ca/residents/transitwindsor/Routes-and-Schedules/Tunnel-Bus-to-Detroit/Pages/Tunnel-Bus-to-Detroit.aspx/ Tunnel Bus] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190624140142/https://www.citywindsor.ca/residents/transitwindsor/Routes-and-Schedules/Tunnel-Bus-to-Detroit/Pages/Tunnel-Bus-to-Detroit.aspx/ |date=2019-06-24 }}
* [https://archive.today/20130121104920/http://info.detnews.com/history/story/index.cfm?id=51&category=locations Detroit News archives: The Building of the Detroit–Windsor Tunnel]

{{Crossings navbox
|structure       = Crossings
|place           = [[Detroit River]]
|bridge          = Detroit–Windsor Tunnel
|bridge signs    = [[Image:I-375.svg|25px]] [[Image:M-10.svg|20px]] [[Image:Ontario 3B.png|20px]]
|upstream        = [[MacArthur Bridge (Detroit)|MacArthur Bridge]]
|upstream signs  =
|downstream      = [[Michigan Central Railway Tunnel]]
|downstream signs = ''[[CPKC Railway]]''
}}

{{Windsor, Ontario}}
{{Detroit}}
{{MIHistory}}

{{coord|42|19|28.21|N|83|2|24.19|W|type:landmark_scale:2000|display=title}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Detroit-Windsor Tunnel}}
[[Category:Transport in Windsor, Ontario]]
[[Category:Transportation buildings and structures in Detroit]]
[[Category:Tunnels in Michigan]]
[[Category:Road tunnels in Ontario]]
[[Category:Crossings of the Detroit River]]
[[Category:Toll tunnels in the United States]]
[[Category:Canada–United States border crossings]]
[[Category:Historic Civil Engineering Landmarks]]
[[Category:Tunnels completed in 1930]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Windsor, Ontario]]
[[Category:Toll tunnels in Canada]]
[[Category:Articles containing video clips]]
[[Category:Road tunnels in the United States]]
[[Category:Immersed tube tunnels in Canada]]
[[Category:Immersed tube tunnels in the United States]]
[[Category:International tunnels]]
[[Category:1930 establishments in Michigan]]
[[Category:1930 establishments in Ontario]]