Michigan bridges to Canada remain open following Rainbow Bridge explosion

Kylie Martin, Detroit Free Press

Bridges between Michigan and Canada remained open on Wednesday afternoon following an explosion that left two people dead and shut down the Rainbow Bridge crossing near Niagara Falls in New York.

On the Blue Water Bridge from Port Huron to Sarnia in Ontario, Canada, it's "business as usual," but authorities are in touch with law enforcement, said Alexandre Gauthier, spokesman for the Federal Bridge Corporation, which oversees operations on the Blue Water Bridge and International Bridge in Sault Ste. Marie in the Upper Peninsula.

Fire damage is visible to the customs plaza structure at the Rainbow Bridge border crossing, Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2023, in Niagara Falls, N.Y. The border crossing between the U.S. and Canada has been closed after a vehicle exploded at a checkpoint on a bridge near Niagara Falls. The FBI's field office in Buffalo said in a statement that it was investigating the explosion on the Rainbow Bridge, which connects the two countries across the Niagara River.

"We're open; all our bridges are still open. We are in contact with law enforcement and we're just following their guidance," Gauthier said.

Online wait times at the Blue Water Bridge showed about an hour wait at 3 p.m. to enter the United States, a higher-than-average wait for this time of day, but could also be a longer wait because of holiday travel. The Ambassador Bridge showed a five minute wait.

Tara Carson — director of communications for the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority, the organization building the Gordie Howe International Bridge — wrote in an emailed statement that construction sites are staffed by security personnel and access to those sites are limited to those working on the project.

Cars and trucks head across the Ambassador Bridge towards Canada as it remains open and it is business as usual despite an explosion at the Rainbow Bridge crossing near Niagara Falls in New York state that forced the bridge to close on Wednesday, November 22, 2023. The explosion left two people dead and a law enforcement official injured.
Cars and trucks head across the Ambassador Bridge towards Canada as it remains open and it is business as usual despite an explosion at the Rainbow Bridge crossing near Niagara Falls in New York state that forced the bridge to close on Wednesday, November 22, 2023. The explosion left two people dead and a law enforcement official injured.

"We have taken the proactive step of increasing security presence at this time," she wrote. "Construction remains ongoing."

Check back for updates on this developing story.

To reach the reporters: Lily Altavena at laltavena@freepress.com and Kylie Martin atkmartin@freepress.com.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan bridges remain open following Rainbow Bridge explosion

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