The Ambassador Bridge is an international suspension bridge across the Detroit River that connects Detroit, Michigan, United States, with Windsor, Ontario, Canada. Opened in 1929, the toll bridge it is the busiest international border crossing in North America in terms of trade volume, carrying more than 25% of all merchandise trade between the United States and Canada by value. A 2004 Border Transportation Partnership study showed that 150,000 jobs in the Detroit–Windsor region and US$13 billion in annual production depend on the Detroit–Windsor international border crossing.
Ambassador Bridge from the Canadian side of the Detroit River
Aerial view of the bridge, 1941
Ambassador Bridge in 1979
Ambassador Bridge at night, in 2014
The Detroit River flows west and south for 24 nautical miles from Lake St. Clair to Lake Erie as a strait in the Great Lakes system. The river divides the metropolitan areas of Detroit, Michigan, and Windsor, Ontario—an area collectively referred to as Detroit–Windsor—and forms part of the border between Canada and the United States. The Ambassador Bridge, the Detroit–Windsor Tunnel, and the Michigan Central Railway Tunnel connect the cities.
Southern end as it enters Lake Erie with Canada in the foreground and the U.S. in the background
Aerial view of the Detroit River looking north
Satellite photo showing Lake Saint Clair (center) with the Detroit River connecting it to Lake Erie (to the south) and the St. Clair River connecting it to Lake Huron (to the north).
Aerial view of a classification yard and two train ferries, 1943