Detroit & Canada Tunnel Corporation

2 stars for the pleasant agents going from US to Canada. 0 stars for the douchebag border agents coming from Canada to US. $ 9 to leave and come back is kinda steep.

I guess it was my lucky day with all the first timer’s luck.
It was my first time using The Tunnel to cross the Border from Detroit and Windsor and it could not be a much better experience.
There was hardly any traffic or wait at all when we were driving across paying at the booth on Detroit side and at Canadian Immigration booth. It was though on a weekday afternoon and my experience might be totally different if I travel during prime time.
CDN$ 5 or USD$ 4.75 and you have option to pay by cash or credit cards. There is even an app for prepaying so you can just scan the bar codes when driving through!
Their website is well designed with Live Cam and estimate travel time. So you can plan another route if there is a huge backup.
So we just zipped through the Tunnel and through Immigration and we arrived Downtown Windsor. Just so convenient!

Drove to Windsor from Detroit via the Tunnel and returned the same day via the Bridge. The Tunnel is 25 cents cheaper. The Tunnel was backed up almost as soon as we entered it. It moved very slowly. And a car broke down; cars were passing it on the wrong side of the road which was very dangerous. A truck came the opposite direction, did a 180 in the small space and pushed it out. All the lanes were open at the Canadian border. It took a while, but things moved. The Tunnel is downtown Detroit and puts you out into Windsor very close to the Casino.
On the way back, however, was not as pleasant. There view from the Bridge was gorgeous. There was no line whatsoever and we drove very quickly on the bridge – too fast. We could not take the photos we wanted because there was no traffic at all. The bridge was run down and I can see how it looks scary and you wonder if it is safe. But then off the bridge came the wait; a huge wait. Not all the lanes are open and people turn off their engines and get out and wait (just like they do in Europe). The Bridge is south of Detroit and out of the city and puts you out of the city in Windsor.
I do recommend trying both to get a feel or to say you have done both of them, but we will return using the tunnel.

The tunnel is usually my preferred route to travel to the USA, however it’s single lane (in each direction), combined with the massive amount of traffic, usually causes me to opt for the bridge instead.
The convenience of arriving in Downtown Detroit (not as scary as it sounds) is the main draw, plus there is a bus that regularly allows for an easy commute (if you don’t want to drive).
I remember driving through the tunnel as a child and wondering… what happened if there was a leak… or how do I get out of here if it collapses… but those are just nonsensical childhood fears. It is safe (although the leaks on some of the walls totally freak me out)
Halfway through are the flags (on the side wall) of Canada and the USA, denoting when exactly you cross into the other country. Returning home, I always feel a sense of relief when I cross that line… don’t know why. and it’s an odd feeling to describe.
Well lit, safe, convenient, I would use it more often if not for the traffic. Would be a hoot with the addition of a pedestrian walkway, but due to its size, it’s totally not possible.
PS — if you suffer from claustrophobia… take the bridge.

When confronted by two evils, I always pick the one I never tried before, and when those evils are a necessity to reach the blessed land of Canada, I’ll take going under the Detroit River to throwing my cash to the intolerably anti-​community, crooked, self-​serving monopoly Ambassador Bridge Company any day.
The $ 4.00 one-​way trip seems a bit rich for a toll, considering the round trip expense would net me a discounted walk-​on ticket on a two-​hour ferry ride in Vancouver, allow me to ride all over Chicago on the L or buy two and a half gallons of gas. But considering the alternatives — going to the Blue Water Bridge in Sarnia/​Port Huron, taking the Ambassador or hoping Mazda built in an amphibious vehicle button on my car — I’ll pay it.
Usually the Detroit-​Windsor Tunnel moves at an equal clip to the aging suspension bridge over the river. A lack of semi traffic certainly helps but the one lane tunnel definitely can back up at peak times around holidays, rush hour commutes, and occasional super sales that send Canadians rushing to cash in their paycheques, Groupons, and pennies on cheap cheese and gas. I prefer this direct route rather than face an arduous series of turnabouts through the privately-​owned gas station and duty free shop belonging to the Ambassador Bridge company, where the fruits of their profits never get reinvested back into the community.
The architectural quality of the tunnel and the fact you’re going underneath a continuous flow of Great Lakes water and the superfreighters that haul gravel, lumber, and grain has a certain thrill and charm, doesn’t it? So into the tunnel with you to make a short trip that usually takes you around a bend and through a freaky tiled tunnel. Please remember to turn your headlights on, take your sunglasses off, and try to get a passenger to pull out all necessary identification. The real trick to the Windsor and Detroit sides respectively for customs is to pull out into the furthest lanes to avoid congestion for everyone else. Always keep an eye out for the NEXUS lanes (only available to people with the Nexus pass) and stay out of the way. A little attention, orderly conduct, and thought about your answers will certainly help.
Here’s a hint: smile. Be polite and prompt with your answers. Have your ID ready. I’ve never been pulled over for random security checks at the border on either side.

It has been numerous years since tunneling across the border. While I have fond memories of standstill traffic while waiting to get back home on a busy weekend day, there is not a better way to get across to the other side! You pop out of the tunnel just a hop skip and jump away from the «Windsor Ballet» (as we used to call it). Great if you are on a quick business trip. Also, we doctored our IDs to get into the local drinking establishments when going to Canada while still under-​age here in the USA. Without the tunnel, a lot of fun would have been missed. Maybe not… we could have taken the Ambassador bridge. I guess that is why I only offered three stars.

they acted like they didn’t want me in canada, then they acted like they didn’t want me back in the US! What a waste of an hour, sitting in Homeland security while they grilled me about «why I came to detroit.» «why are you coming to canada?» «let us search your car.»

The tunnel is a lovely work of civil engineering. However, who decided that it should cost $ 8 round trip to go between Detroit and Windsor? Windsor?! But, for all of the entertaining politics surrounding this little border crossing, an awesome real-​time updated website, and easy access to Canadian gambling and a Via Rail station, this tunnel corporation earns 4 stars. If only it were walkable!