Office of Operations Freight Management and Operations

Blue Water Bridge Crossing Summary

The Blue Water Bridge connects Port Huron, Michigan with Point Edward and Sarnia, Ontario and crosses the Saint Clair River. The bridge is near the intersection of I-94 and I-69 in the U.S., connecting with Detroit and Flint, Michigan and Chicago, Illinois. In Canada, the bridge connects with Highway 402, a major highway that connects to Highway 401 in London, Ontario, which extends from Detroit, Michigan through Toronto, Ontario and into the Eastern Provinces. The bridge facilitates the movement of many commodities between the U.S. and Canada, with the automotive and agricultural industries the most notable.

The Blue Water Bridge comprises two spans, each with three lanes. The original bridge, built in 1938, was refurbished in 1999 and handles westbound traffic into the U.S. The second span, opened in 1997, handles outbound traffic into Canada. The bridge is open for both passenger and commercial vehicle traffic 24 hours a day. The bridge is unique in that it is not jointly owned by entities on both sides but, rather, the U.S. side of the bridge is owned by the State of Michigan and operated by the Michigan Department of Transportation and the Canadian side is owned and operated by the Blue Water Bridge Authority.

Crossing Times
empty cell Baseline Time[1] Average Crossing Time[2] 95th Percentile Time[3] Buffer Time[4] Buffer Index[5]
Outbound 5.0 6.2 9.1 2.9 46.8
Inbound 11.1 34.2 80.3 46.1 134.8

Notes:

  1. Baseline time (in minutes) to travel the study distance (between the starting point in the exporting country and the initial inspection point in the importing country) in free-flow traffic conditions.
  2. Average crossing time (in minutes) to travel the study distance.
  3. Time (in minutes) for 95 percent of trucks to travel the study distance.
  4. Time (in minutes) between the average time and the 95th percentile time for trucks to travel the study distance. This is the "extra time" that must be budgeted to cross the border relative to the average time.
  5. Buffer time necessary expressed as a percentage of average time. This is the extra percentage of average time that must be budgeted to cross the border.

Scatter plot showing the inbound and outbound travel time in minutes for Blue Water Bridge traffic volumes per hour per lane. Inbound traffic volume remains steady, but delays range from 10 to 90 minutes. Outbound traffic volume remains steady, and delays average 5 to 10 minutes.

Graph showing the average hourly inbound traffic volume and travel time in minutes per booth for Blue Water Bridge from 9AM to 10PM, showing travel time, volume per booth, and number of open booths. No delay travel time is 8.67 minutes. As open booths decrease at 5 and 10PM, volume per booth increases. Travel time peaks at 6PM.

Graph showing the average hourly outbound traffic volume and travel time in minutes per booth for Blue Water Bridge from 9AM to 10PM, showing travel time, volume per booth, and number of open booths. No delay travel time is 4.80 minutes. Open booths decrease at 8PM. Volume per booth and travel time remain steady all day.

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