Tunnel or Bridge Crossing at Windsor for I75?

[Pumpkin910]

Hi,

We leave on the 17th (next week) for our first drive to Florida. Once we get to London we are going to decide whether to cross at Windsor or Sarnia. We have asked around and it has been a 50/50 split on where to cross. The latest advice from a friend yesterday was that the construction around Detroit is finished so cross at Windsor. When I looked into it though, there is a bridge and a tunnel. Which is best for the I75?

Thank you!

 

[wdwgoofydaddy]

Hi,

We leave on the 17th (next week) for our first drive to Florida. Once we get to London we are going to decide whether to cross at Windsor or Sarnia. We have asked around and it has been a 50/50 split on where to cross. The latest advice from a friend yesterday was that the construction around Detroit is finished so cross at Windsor. When I looked into it though, there is a bridge and a tunnel. Which is best for the I75?

Thank you!

We have completed the drive many.. many.. many.. times and love taking I75. All the construction has been completed at the Windsor bridge and we always cross there. Even when it was under construction.

We strongly recommend taking the bridge. it is very easy to get onto I75 from the bridge.

After you clear customs and pay the toll, the on ramp to I75 south is right there on the far left side.

If you are interested in our driving adventures, here are a few of our related posts.

Hope this helps and safe travels.

The cost to drive
http://memoriesofdisney.com/2014/09/the-cost-to-drive-from-toronto-to-orlando/#.VIdRodLF8l8


Our drive down I75
http://memoriesofdisney.com/2014/06/how-we-do-the-24-hour-drive-from-toronto-to-orlando/#.VIdR7tLF8l8

 

[Pumpkin910]

Wdwgoofydaddy,

Thank you very much for your reply and advice. We are hoping the kids do ok!

 

[wdwgoofydaddy]

Wdwgoofydaddy,

Thank you very much for your reply and advice. We are hoping the kids do ok!

You are welcome! Are you guys planning to drive straight through? Our kids have been doing the drive with us for about 5 years now and they tend to be pretty good overall.

 

[mapleleaf4ever]

Bridge for sure. It is very easy to get onto I75 once you cross the border. There is some construction in Windsor, but it doesn't really slow you down.
You might also want to pick up a copy Dave Hunter's book "driving along I75". A lot of helpful information and an excellent series of maps.
Have a safe trip.

 

[Pumpkin910]

We have the I75 book. We decided not to drive straight because we are not sure how the kids will do.None of my kids sleep in the car and one gets car sick but can't take Gravol because it makes him hyper I think I just talked myself into flying.

Originally we were going to take 2 nights but have had to change that to 1 night. We plan to leave the Newmarket area around 4am and drive to just north of Atlanta if we can. I booked a hotel there but can cancel until 6pm that day in case we don't make it that far.

We are going to take 2 nights on the way back so we can stop and see some of the sights mentioned in the I75 book, and also in case the one night stop turns out to be too much.

Why is there a frowning purple face at the top of my post?? Lol.

 

[Bertie9396]

We are leaving next Thursday from Barrie and are crossing at Sarnia. Our GPS took us that way last time so we did it and found it so much easier than crossing at Detroit. It takes a little bit to get to I-75 but we find we avoid some traffic and DH hates the drive through the Windsor/Detroit area anyway. The last time we drove, we stopped one night, this time we are taking our time a bit more and will be stopping two nights. Ths time though we have two full weeks in Florida so we aren't feeling as rushed. So far, the weather looks OK for next week.

 

[webworm]

Left oakville this morning at 5AM and were at the ambassador bridge at 8AM with a 10 minute wait to clear customs.

 

[Bertie9396]

We are leaving next Thursday from Barrie and are crossing at Sarnia. Our GPS took us that way last time so we did it and found it so much easier than crossing at Detroit. It takes a little bit to get to I-75 but we find we avoid some traffic and DH hates the drive through the Windsor/Detroit area anyway. The last time we drove, we stopped one night, this time we are taking our time a bit more and will be stopping two nights. Ths time though we have two full weeks in Florida so we aren't feeling as rushed. So far, the weather looks OK for next week.

We crossed at Sarnia again. We left Barrie at 5 AM on Thursday and were across by 8:30. We had no wait to cross at all. There was no one ahead of us. We drove right up, talked to the guy at customs for 2 minutes and we were off and running. Mom and Dad arrived later in the morning the day before and had maybe a 15 minute wait they said. It was a great drive down. Hit traffic in Atlanta, just before afternoon rush-hour but otherwise, no problems at all.

 

[scrt69]

We have the I75 book. We decided not to drive straight because we are not sure how the kids will do.None of my kids sleep in the car and one gets car sick but can't take Gravol because it makes him hyper I think I just talked myself into flying.

Originally we were going to take 2 nights but have had to change that to 1 night. We plan to leave the Newmarket area around 4am and drive to just north of Atlanta if we can. I booked a hotel there but can cancel until 6pm that day in case we don't make it that far.

We are going to take 2 nights on the way back so we can stop and see some of the sights mentioned in the I75 book, and also in case the one night stop turns out to be too much.

Why is there a frowning purple face at the top of my post?? Lol.

we have 3 kids (12,8,4) and left from Keswick about 4am as well. I was silly and drove 18 hours the first day (Ooltewah, TN) I was very surprised at how good the kids were, but had to make sure to let them out to stretch every now and then as well.
Coming home, we stopped 2 nights (much easier on me, the driver.) we drove in March, for march break last year, and the drive was very easy. We crossed at Sarnia, and found only a 3 minute wait, and much nicer border guards. Coming home we crossed at Windsor. We happened to hit the border on the Saturday at the tail end of March break.. so it wasn't very busy.

I used the I-75 book as well. VERY helpful!!!!!

We found video players, books, and other toys to be very helpful. HEADPHONES are the key

 

[scrappinginontario]

We have the I75 book. We decided not to drive straight because we are not sure how the kids will do.None of my kids sleep in the car and one gets car sick but can't take Gravol because it makes him hyper I think I just talked myself into flying.

I'm not well versed in car sickness but wonder if the pressure bands used on a cruise might help your child that can't take Gravol? There is also a product called 'Bonine' that is available in the US for car sickness and my niece uses that as it does not cause the drowsiness that Gravol does.

Have a great trip!!

 

[Frank4202]

@Pumpkin910 I personally live in Windsor and can tell you honestly its a crap shoot. It really depends on what time of day and which day you cross. However, for people that are not familiar with the area, I highly recommend the bridge. They have a lot more border officers working which makes lines move quickly (if there is a line). Also, jumping onto I75 from the bridge is very very easy. Signs everywhere.