Cross-border travellers are being put on notice that the Windsor-Detroit Tunnel will be closed for several hours this coming weekend.
The border crossing between downtown Windsor and downtown Detroit will be closed this Sunday, Oct. 20 for the 47th annual Detroit Free Press International Marathon.
The crossing will be shut down in both directions from 6:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. as those who ran over the Ambassador Bridge into Windsor head back into Detroit through the tunnel.
Tal Czudner, Chief Executive Officer of the Windsor-Detroit Tunnel Corporation, says the closure allows enough time for even the slowest runners to make it through.
"Last year we opened around 9:35 a.m., but to give a bit of cushion, we say 10 a.m. to our travellers. It's the slowest time of the week for us, so it usually doesn't impact," he says.
Czudner calls it a pretty unquie relationship between Windsor and Detroit.
"We only shut down the tunnel twice a year: once when we do some emergency procedures in the spring and then once for the marathon. Other than that, we work 24-7," he says.
Czudner says there's always a lot of procedures they need to follow and work they need to do to shut down the tunnel.
"It's a huge undertaking, and it's a pretty unique marathon. This is Christmas Day for runners. There's a lot of people who come from all over North America to participate because you get to run over the bridge and run through the tunnel. That's pretty cool," he says.
This year's marathon is sold out and is expected to include a record attendance of over 26,000 competitors.