Which Windsor–Detroit crossing is fastest?
There are three ways to drive between Windsor and Detroit: the Gordie Howe International Bridge, the Ambassador Bridge and the Detroit–Windsor Tunnel. Everyone has a favourite, and most of us pick out of habit. Since September 20, 2026 we have recorded the official wait at all three crossings, in both directions, every five minutes. This guide compares them hour by hour to answer a simple question: which one is actually faster, and when does it matter?
The short answer
- Going to Detroit, the crossings are usually within a few minutes of each other, so pick the one closest to where you are going and check the live times before you leave.
- Coming home to Windsor, the Gordie Howe Bridge has been the slowest crossing in CBSA’s figures, especially Thu 6–8 PM and Fri 5–9 PM. If it shows a line, the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel or the Ambassador Bridge is usually quicker.
- When you go matters more than which crossing you pick: see the best time to cross tables and the 7-day forecast.
Going to Detroit (U.S.-bound)
- The three crossings were within five minutes of each other in 89% of daytime hours.
- Lowest typical daytime wait: the Ambassador Bridge (4.2 min on average), then the Gordie Howe Bridge (4.6 min) and the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel (5.0 min).
- Weekends were busier than weekdays at all three crossings.
- Longest typical waits: 20 min at the Ambassador Bridge (Sat 12 PM), 15 min at the Gordie Howe Bridge (Sat 10 AM–12 PM; Sun 1 PM, 6 PM), and 10 min at the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel (several times a week).
- In the 11 daytime hours when the fastest and slowest crossing were 10 or more minutes apart, the fastest (or tied fastest) was the Ambassador Bridge in 6, the Gordie Howe Bridge in 3, and the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel in 3.
| Crossing | Average | Mon–Fri | Sat–Sun | No delay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gordie Howe | 4.6 min | 3.8 min | 6.6 min | 23% |
| Ambassador | 4.2 min | 2.9 min | 7.3 min | 38% |
| Tunnel | 5.0 min | 4.4 min | 6.6 min | 20% |
Average of the typical official CBP passenger wait for each hour from 6 AM to 10 PM Eastern; “No delay” is the share of those hours with a typical wait of zero.
Coming back to Windsor (Canada-bound)
- The three crossings were within five minutes of each other in 71% of daytime hours.
- Lowest typical daytime wait: the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel (0.8 min on average), then the Ambassador Bridge (1.3 min) and the Gordie Howe Bridge (4.6 min).
- Weekends were busier than weekdays at all three crossings.
- No delay in 94% of daytime hours at the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel, but only 55% at the Gordie Howe Bridge.
- Longest typical waits: 20 min at the Gordie Howe Bridge (Thu 6–8 PM; Fri 5–9 PM), 15 min at the Ambassador Bridge (Sat 12–2 PM), and 15 min at the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel (Fri 8–10 PM; Sat 5 PM, 7–9 PM).
- In the 33 daytime hours when the fastest and slowest crossing were 10 or more minutes apart, the fastest (or tied fastest) was the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel in 29 and the Ambassador Bridge in 23; the Gordie Howe Bridge never was.
| Crossing | Average | Mon–Fri | Sat–Sun | No delay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gordie Howe | 4.6 min | 4.0 min | 6.1 min | 55% |
| Ambassador | 1.3 min | 1.1 min | 1.7 min | 84% |
| Tunnel | 0.8 min | 0.5 min | 1.4 min | 94% |
Average of the typical official CBSA passenger wait for each hour from 6 AM to 10 PM Eastern; “No delay” is the share of those hours with a typical wait of zero. CBSA publishes Canada-bound waits in coarse steps and can lag 30–90 minutes, so treat small differences with caution.
Fastest crossing, hour by hour
For each of the 112 daytime hours in a week we compared the typical wait at all three crossings. Ties are common because most typical waits are “no delay” or 5 minutes: all three were tied in 57 hours to Detroit and 62 hours to Windsor. The table counts, out of 112 hours, how often each crossing had the lowest typical wait, including ties, and how often it was faster than both others.
| To Detroit | To Windsor | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crossing | Fastest or tied | Alone | Fastest or tied | Alone |
| Gordie Howe | 83 | 3 | 62 | 0 |
| Ambassador | 96 | 14 | 98 | 5 |
| Tunnel | 78 | 7 | 107 | 14 |
How to choose your crossing
Start with where you are going. When the waits are close, the shortest drive wins. The Tunnel runs downtown to downtown, so it suits Caesars Windsor, Little Caesars Arena, Ford Field, Comerica Park, Greektown and the Renaissance Center. The Gordie Howe Bridge connects Highway 401 to I-75 with no city streets, so it suits Detroit Metro Airport, Ann Arbor, Toledo and anything south or west of downtown. The Ambassador Bridge lands near Mexicantown and the I-75/I-96 interchange, handy for Corktown and I-96 toward Lansing.
Check what your vehicle can use. The Tunnel takes no transport trucks, motorcycles, bicycles or pedestrians, and has a height limit. The Gordie Howe Bridge is the only crossing with a path for walking and cycling.
Compare tolls. A car pays CAD $8.00 or USD $5.75 each way at the Gordie Howe Bridge and CAD $14.00 or USD $10.00 at the Ambassador Bridge. The Tunnel charges CAD $8.25 from Windsor and USD $9.00 from Detroit. Rates were reviewed in September 2026; each crossing page has the details and discounts.
Watch for events and holidays. Lines at the Tunnel build before and after games and concerts downtown; the game-day page lists upcoming home games. Long weekends break every normal pattern.
Check the live times last. Typical waits describe a normal day. A crash, a lane closure or short staffing can put one crossing an hour behind the others, and the live page marks whichever is fastest right now. If you have NEXUS, see the NEXUS lane waits.
How we measured this
Every five minutes our server records the published passenger-lane wait for each crossing and direction: U.S. Customs and Border Protection for traffic into the U.S. and the Canada Border Services Agency for traffic into Canada. For each crossing, weekday and hour we take the median of those snapshots over the last eight weeks, so one bad backup does not distort a whole hour. “Daytime” means 6 AM to 10 PM Eastern, when most people cross; an hour only counts in the comparison when all three crossings have data for it. The Gordie Howe Bridge opened on July 27, 2026, so its patterns are still settling. Everything on this page recalculates automatically as the data grows.
These are official published waits, not measured travel times, and they can differ from what you see in line. Wait times are estimates; allow extra time when it matters. Questions about the method: contact us.