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Detroit–Windsor

Windsor Detroit

Detroit–Windsor Tunnel Border wait times

Direction
Passenger · Standard
Traveling by
Lane type

Current wait

Passenger

No delay reported

Reported 45 min ago by CBP

Toll: $8.25 CAD · $5.90 with Nexpress

Details

Reporting details

Reported

2 lanes open

Down 5 min since 12:00 AM EDT

Feed-check details

CBP feed checked · Updates roughly hourly

Tunnel facts

Open
24 hours, every day
Toll, Windsor → Detroit
$8.25 CAD · $5.90 with Nexpress
Toll, Detroit → Windsor
$9.00 USD · $6.75 with Nexpress
Payment
Card or tunnel app · no cash
Not allowed
Motorcycles, scooters, bicycles, e-bikes, hazardous materials
Maximum height
12 ft 8 in (3.86 m)
Maximum width
8 ft 6 in (2.59 m)
Maximum weight
144,000 lb (65,317 kg)
Extra-load pricing
8 ft (2.45 m) or taller, including load and any trailer · higher per-axle rate
NEXUS lane, into Canada
Mon – Fri 7:00 am – 8:00 pm · weekends and holidays 11:00 am – 7:00 pm
NEXUS lane, into the U.S.
Mon – Fri 5:00 am – 8:00 pm · weekends and holidays 11:00 am – 7:00 pm
Ready Lane, U.S.-bound
Mon – Fri 11:00 am – 2:00 pm

The Detroit–Windsor Tunnel opened in 1930 and runs under the Detroit River between the two downtowns, which usually makes it the shortest crossing for city-centre trips and the most size-restricted of the three. It is jointly owned by the two cities: Detroit Windsor Tunnel LLC runs the Detroit side and Windsor Detroit Borderlink, a City of Windsor company, runs the Windsor side. Closures are rare and announced — emergency training exercises and the Detroit Free Press Marathon.

Quick answers

Does the tunnel take cash?

No, in either direction. Tolls are payable by debit or credit card, a Nexpress card, or the tunnel app, so arriving with only banknotes means you cannot cross. Both the Ambassador Bridge and the Gordie Howe Bridge do take cash, which is what catches people out.

Can I use the Ready Lane?

A Ready Lane is a quicker U.S.-bound lane for travellers carrying a card with a chip the booth can read from a distance: an enhanced licence, a U.S. passport card, or a NEXUS, SENTRI, Global Entry or FAST card. An ordinary passport book does not count, and everyone in the vehicle aged 16 or over needs an eligible card — one passenger carrying only a passport book disqualifies the whole car.

When do the trusted-traveller lanes open at weekends?

The weekend start is the one that catches people out. On Saturdays and Sundays nothing dedicated opens in either direction until three hours after the Ambassador Bridge’s Canada-bound lane has started.

Tolls and payment

Unlike the two bridges, the tunnel charges a different rate in each direction, in the currency of the side you leave from, with a discounted Nexpress figure beside each.

Current tolls: Canada-bound · U.S.-bound

Linq Tunnel Bus

For foot passengers
No walkway · Linq Tunnel Bus · $17.50 one way
Payment
debit or credit card only · Current fare
Board in Windsor at
Bruce Ave & Riverside Dr W
Detroit stops
Washington & Jefferson · Cass & Michigan
Other directional stops
Detroit pick-up only: Tunnel Plaza by Mariners’ Church · Windsor drop-off only: McDougall & University
Schedule
Limited hours · Current schedule

Vehicle-lane waits do not estimate the bus trip or passenger processing time. For walking or cycling across the border itself, use the Gordie Howe Bridge multi-use path instead.

Vehicle limits and alternatives

Long vehicles must also negotiate a 30° curve in the tunnel’s pillar section. If your vehicle exceeds a tunnel limit, use the Ambassador Bridge or Gordie Howe Bridge instead.

For a motorcycle or scooter, use the Ambassador Bridge or Gordie Howe Bridge instead.