DETROIT – The Detroit-Windsor Tunnel announced Friday that it will be increasing the frequency of overnight closures in May and June to expedite its ongoing $22 million renovation project.
During the COVID-19 crisis, the tunnel is open to only essential traffic. With traffic levels down, but steady, the Detroit and Windsor teams met with the contractor to review their options to accelerate the project before the travel restrictions are lifted.
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The tunnel will close between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m. Monday through Thursday beginning Monday, May 18 through Thursday, June 18 (the tunnel will be closed overnight May 18-21, May 26-28, June 1-4 and June 8-11).
There will be no closures over the Memorial Day weekend, May 22-25.
“By speeding up the progress while border restrictions are in place, we will help minimize the impact on our customers in the long term,” said Neal Belitsky, Detroit-Windsor Tunnel president. “We appreciate our customers’ patience and understanding while we complete this renovation project, which will extend the life of the 90-year-old tunnel and ensure that it will remain a crucial resource of commerce between our two nations.”
The renovations began in January 2017 and included replacement of the tunnel’s concrete ceiling, as well as masonry, electrical work and other infrastructure improvements. The repair work is part of continued maintenance necessary because of natural occurrences tied to an underwater tunnel.
The renovation project was co-funded by Detroit-Windsor Tunnel LLC and Windsor-Detroit Borderlink Limited.
For “essential” travelers, DWT would like to offer the following reminders:
- The tunnel is not accepting cash. Essential travelers can pay via their Nexpress account, which can be opened at www.dwtunnel.com/NEXPRESS; by credit card on readers mounted on the exterior of each tollbooth; or by the DWT mobile app (search for NEXPRESS on the app store of your choice).
- Transit Windsor’s tunnel bus service has suspended service for now.