Bomb threat closes Canada, US trade link

Entry lanes are shown closed as authorities investigate a bomb threat at the Detroit Windsor Tunnel Thursday, July 12, 2012. The tunnel was closed to traffic after the threat was called in on the Canadian side, tunnel chief executive Neal Belitsky told The Associated Press. The call was made some time after 12:30 p.m. to the duty free shop on a plaza on the tunnel's Windsor side, tunnel executive vice president Carolyn Brown said. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

OTTAWA – The Detroit to Windsor Tunnel, a major road trade link between Canada and the United States, was closed on Thursday by police investigating an anonymous bomb threat that turned out to be false.

The police service in Windsor, Ontario announced on Twitter that the 1.5-kilometer (0.9-mile) long tunnel that connects downtown Windsor with downtown Detroit was evacuated and closed to traffic in both directions “after a non-specific, anonymous bomb threat was received.”

For nearly four hours, traffic— normally up to 2,000 cars an hour – was re-routed over a nearby bridge and boat traffic on the Detroit River was also halted as police did a visual sweep of the tunnel.

“Detroit-Windsor Tunnel has been fully inspected by police, and will re-open at 5pm today,” the police later announced in a second Twitter message.

Carolyn Brown, vice president of the tunnel operating firm, told CBC that the bomb threat was called in to a duty free shop at the Canadian entrance of the tunnel.

Canadian media said police appeared to have focused their investigation on a phone booth across the street from the duty free shop.