Detroit-Windsor truck ferry to close in 4 to 6 months, company says

After an unsuccessful plea for public funding, the Detroit-Windsor Truck Ferry (DWTF) will be shutting down later this year, the operator of the service confirmed.

The move will leave the cities without a direct way to transport hazardous or oversize loads across the border amid two mega projects in Windsor: the construction of the Stellantis-LG EV battery plant and the building of the Gordie Howe International Bridge.

The president of the truck ferry, Gregg Ward, says he made a decision Friday not to make a long-term renewal of his lease agreement for the equipment to run the crossing.

"The government's decision to not financially support the Truck Ferry operation means the service will wind down operations in the next 4-6 months and then close," he said in an email to CBC News.

Ward said last week that it's no longer financially viable to run the ferry following a decrease in traffic from trucks carrying hazardous materials, so he advocated for government funding.

Ward said he would need $160,000 US a month to keep operating, a cost he hoped could be split by governments on both sides of the border.

"If they would like it to stay open, I will need support to do that," Ward said in an interview Thursday evening.

Ward said he believes it is a service that has significant public value.

The ferry has been in operation since 1990. It's currently the only legal way for trucks to move hazardous materials across the border and it also can be used for overweight or large dimension trucks.

Ward wanted to receive funding to at least keep the service running until the Gordie Howe International Bridge — which will allow hazardous materials to cross — is open in 2025.

In a statement, the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority says the company building the bridge uses the truck ferry, along with other crossings. But it doesn't believe a closure of the truck ferry would affect the project's timeline.

"Should the truck ferry become unavailable as a component of their transportation route, [Bridging North America] and their subcontractors will assess other available options. Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority does not anticipate a possible closure of the truck ferry as having an impact on construction or schedule," said Heather Grondin, vice-president of corporate affairs and external relations.

A spokesperson for Stellantis said that the closure of the truck ferry "does not impact our battery plant construction."