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Windsor

Ambassador Bridge reopens, 1 detained as police investigate 'possible explosives'

The Ambassador Bridge connecting Ontario and Detroit, Mich., has reopened fully after being partially closed for several hours Monday afternoon as police checked the area for "possible explosives." One person has been detained.

Updates on incident expected Tuesday, say Windsor police

Traffic along the Ambassador Bridge connecting Windsor, Ont., and Detroit was affected Monday morning as police responded to 'possible explosives' near the border crossing. (Darrin Di Carlo/CBC)

The Ambassador Bridge connecting Ontario and Detroit, Mich., has reopened fully after being partially closed for several hours Monday afternoon as police checked the area for "possible explosives," Windsor police said.

At about 7 p.m. ET, Windsor police tweeted that officers were no longer atthe scene. The tweet also said more updates will be provided Tuesday.

Possible explosives

At 2:32 ET, police tweeted the "driver of the involved vehicle" was being detained pending further investigation.

The CBSAalerted WindsorPolice Service (WPS) after the possible explosives were found inside a vehicle in the secondary inspection area at the border crossing.

"No threat was associated to this [and]this is believed to be an isolated incident," police said on Twitter just after noon ET.

Earlier Monday, the WPSsaid officers, including the explosive disposal unit, were on scene and the area was evacuated.

Traffic was rerouted to the Windsor-Detroit Tunnel and Bluewater Bridge near Sarnia, Ont.

"Local CBSA management is working closely with emergency officials on both sides of the border monitoring the situation and acting to minimize traffic disruptions," CBSA said in a statement to CBC News.

As of early afternoon, the international crossing remained closed to incoming travellers, but open to U.S.-bound traffic. The crossing was fully opened both ways later in the afternoon.

Windsor's ports of entry, which include the bridge andthe tunnel,make upthe busiest land border crossinginCanada.

A bomb threat in 2012causeda five-hour closure of the bridge that halted cross-border trucking.

Joe Abramuk, dispatch supervisor for OnFreight Logistics, said the closure wasslowing things downfor truckers as they were "waiting for something to clear up so we can start bringing the product over,".

The company has 15 to 30 trucksusing the border crossing daily. Shutdowns affect"everything from the bottom line to drivers' hours," he said.

Clarifications

  • An earlier version of this story included Windsor police saying the Ambassador Bridge from Canada to the U.S. was closed. Police have since corrected their report, saying that at no time was traffic flow completely closed to the U.S., and the story has been updated to include the right information.
    Oct 04, 2021 4:27 PM ET

With files from Jason Viau and Michael Hargreaves