The Gordie Howe Bridge opened to cars at the end of July. Over five weeks of readings, 4 August to 7 September, its average reported booth wait was higher than the Ambassador Bridge’s or the tunnel’s in both directions.
I’m Jacob. I live in Windsor and cross this river constantly, and I built this site to answer the question I have every time I leave the house: which way? Since the end of July there has been a third choice, so I went back through five weeks of the agencies’ readings to see how it has done.
During these five weeks, the usual reported wait at all three crossings was five minutes toward Michigan and zero toward Canada. Gordie Howe had no reported delay toward Michigan for about nine hours per day, mostly overnight and early morning, and toward Canada for about sixteen. Between 3 and 6 in the morning, all three had little or no reported delay.
The largest differences appeared in the afternoon, mostly between 3 and 6. Across the five weeks, Gordie Howe’s recorded estimates exceeded 20 minutes for 27 hours toward Michigan, compared with nine at the Ambassador and six at the tunnel. Toward Canada, the totals were about 41 hours at Gordie Howe, ten at the Ambassador and 23 at the tunnel.
CBP reported as few as two open inspection booths on an afternoon with no delay and as many as a dozen during a peak. On Saturday 8 August at 5 pm, Gordie Howe had a dozen booths open and a 60-minute reported wait toward Michigan, its worst hour of the five weeks. In the same direction at that hour, the Ambassador had eight booths open and a 25-minute wait, and the tunnel had six booths open and a 20-minute wait.
Between 3 and 6 in the afternoon, Gordie Howe averaged about 10 minutes toward Michigan, compared with about 6 at the Ambassador and 7 at the tunnel. Toward Canada during those hours, it averaged about 11 minutes, compared with about 5 at the Ambassador and 7 at the tunnel. Its Michigan-bound daily averages were 9 minutes on Sunday, 7 on Monday and 3 on Wednesday; Canada-bound averages were 9 on Friday, 7 on Sunday and 2 on Wednesday. The bridge’s worst individual hours fell on a Saturday and a Sunday. Over the Labour Day weekend, its Canada-bound average was about nine minutes, compared with three or four at the other two crossings.
Toward Canada, the corridor’s highest single reported wait was at the Ambassador: 75 minutes on Friday 28 August at 5 pm. The Ambassador still had the lowest Canada-bound average over the five weeks.
For Michigan-bound NEXUS traffic, Gordie Howe had no reported delay for about fourteen hours per day, the Ambassador for about seventeen and the tunnel for about sixteen. There is no Canada-bound NEXUS reading to compare; CBSA does not publish one.
If you walk or cycle: the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority posted the bridge’s path closed on four of the 23 days between 16 August, when this site began checking the operator’s status page, and 7 September, the longest a 40-hour stretch from the Thursday evening before the Labour Day weekend to Saturday morning.
These results describe 4 August–7 September 2026. They do not predict today’s wait or include the approach roads. Before leaving, compare the latest reports on the Detroit–Windsor page and check the tolls on each crossing’s guide.
The three crossings, 4 August to 7 September
The table uses reports for regular car booths in each direction, excluding NEXUS. The usual wait is the middle value when the hourly estimates are ordered from shortest to longest. The average includes every recorded hour, including the longest waits.
| Crossing | Direction | Usual wait | Average wait | Recorded hours over 20 minutes, across five weeks | Worst hour |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gordie Howe Bridge | Into Michigan | 5 min | 5.7 min | 27.0 hrs | 60 min, Sat 8 Aug, 5 pm |
| Ambassador Bridge | Into Michigan | 5 min | 4.3 min | 9.0 hrs | 35 min, Sun 30 Aug, 10 pm |
| Detroit–Windsor Tunnel | Into Michigan | 5 min | 4.9 min | 6.0 hrs | 35 min, Thu 13 Aug, noon |
| Gordie Howe Bridge | Into Windsor | 0 min | 4.9 min | 40.5 hrs | 45 min, Sun 9 Aug, 2 pm |
| Ambassador Bridge | Into Windsor | 0 min | 2.0 min | 9.6 hrs | 75 min, Fri 28 Aug, 5 pm |
| Detroit–Windsor Tunnel | Into Windsor | 0 min | 2.4 min | 23.1 hrs | 35 min, Fri 28 Aug, 4 pm |
How the numbers were made
The wait is the agency’s own estimate of the line at its booths: CBP toward Michigan, CBSA toward Canada. The approach roads are not counted. CBP updated its estimate about once an hour over the five weeks, CBSA a little less often. Each estimate counts until the next one. An estimate is carried forward for at most three hours; the remaining gap is left out. Of the 840 hours in the period, usable car estimates covered 827 hours at Gordie Howe, 831 at the Ambassador and 831 at the tunnel toward Michigan. Toward Canada, coverage was 790, 770 and 827 hours respectively. Each crossing’s average uses its own available hours. The hours over 20 minutes are recorded totals for the full five weeks; missing hours are unknown and could change the comparison. The bridge was already open when recording began on 4 August, so its first days are not here.
Everything behind these figures is public: the readings and the script that made them (ZIP). What CBP and CBSA count, and what the labels on a live card mean, is on the wait-time guide.