With the Gordie Howe Bridge between Windsor and Detroit opening to traffic soon, there’s hope it will help ease congestion on Highway 402 at the Bluewater Bridge between Sarnia and Port Huron, MI. “Last two years we are waiting almost, some days three hours to cross the bridge,” exclaimed truck driver Daljit Toor, who crosses regularly at Sarnia. According to Borderroute.com, the Bluewater Bridge has become the busiest commercial crossing between Canada and the United States, recording 2.1 million crossings in 2025. That surpasses the Ambassador Bridge between Windsor and Detroit, which recorded 1.9 million crossings. Sarnia Mayor Mike Bradley says the opening of the Gordie Howe will loosen the bottleneck on the 402 heading towards the Bluewater Bridge. But he cautions it won’t happen overnight. “In Sarnia, it probably means a decrease in traffic, and that’s not a bad thing. How much that decrease is going to be, we can’t estimate. It’s going to take six months or so to see. But we’ve had numerous issues here with the truck traffic. So, in some ways this is welcome. It will take some of the pressure off here,” said Bradley. And with fewer highway backups, Sarnia-area residents are hoping truck drivers will be less inclined to cut through the city to bypass the bottleneck on the highway. “I think people get a little bit nervous with it because it plugs up the core and can cause accidents,” said resident Paul Howse. “It’s harder for people in cars to get where they want to go if the trucks are, you know, backed up on the roads, too, like in town,” explained resident Paulette Williamson. The Gordie Howe Bridge opens to traffic on Monday, giving all drivers more options. “Yeah, if we have both options open, we’ll be crossing really quick,” said Toor.
