WINDSOR, Ont. — About one-third of the traffic that crosses the Ambassador Bridge at the Windsor, Ont.-Detroit border is said to be directly related to the auto sector. So, with the Big Three U.S. automakers scaling back production and some of their suppliers taking a beating, will there be some relief in congestion at the world’s busiest trade gateway?

Despite possible short-term relief on the Ambassador,
the crossing still needs more capacity: DesRosiers

A little, says Dan Stamper, president of the bridge’s parent company Detroit International Bridge Co. Stamper told local media recently that recent Ford and GM cuts and related slowdowns in component and raw-material movement could translate to at least a five-percent drop in bridge traffic and could therefore relieve some traffic volume at peak times.

So, does that mean all the fuss being made to expand crossing capacity at the beleaguered border is overstated? In fact, if the Big Three continue to lose market share, is a second bridge which has been promised for so long even needed?

Absolutely, says automotive sector expert Dennis DesRosiers. Although Ontario’s automotive market is evolving to focus more on east-west traffic, and even if the closures related to the Big Three are quietly providing a natural solution to Windsor’s border woes, DesRosiers thinks those problems won’t iron themselves out for at least another decade or two. “It’s just an impossible situation down there right now,” he told Today’s Trucking recently.

Automotive Parts Manufacturing Association President Gerry Fedchun thinks the Ambassador will regain that volume, and then some, as Japanese automakers situated north of the border continue growing. While it’s true the Japanese companies have slightly more suppliers positioned closer to home base, the majority of all parts manufacturers still sit on the Michigan-Indiana-Kentucky corridor and will continue to look for more capacity at Michigan crossings, says Fedchun.

“Toyota’s biggest plant is in Kentucky, which is four hours south of Windsor down I-75. There’s still going to be a whole cluster of suppliers around that plant,” he says. “In some cases, for economies of manufacturing, you’d take that production and ship it to Ontario and vice-versa.”

For more on shifting trends in the southern Ontario parts hauling sector, and what that means for all truckers in the region, check out the weekly feature on TodaysTrucking.com titled “Shifting Fortunes.”