Canada Border Services Agency advises everyone to be prepared if they plan on crossing the Windsor-Detroit border over the next three days.
The NFL Draft is being held in downtown Detroit from Thursday to Saturday, which is expected to draw thousands of people from across the region and out of the area to the event.
Julie Michaelis, CBSA Director Windsor Tunnel, says they're expecting a significant number of travellers, and they want people to know it's going to be busy at both the Windsor-Detroit Tunnel and the Ambassador Bridge.
Michaelis says they have been planning for sometime to managed the expected volume.
"We will continuously monitor the traffic volumes, and the wait times, and we will be adjusting staffing levels to help minimize the delays," she says.
Michaelis says they expect things to be busy at times when they normally aren't.
"We are not normally busy after 9 p.m. for the tunnel unless there is a special event in the area. I'm suggesting we're going to be busy from 9 p.m. until that last {Transit Windsor} tunnel bus at 1:30 a.m. in the morning," she says.
Michaeli says it's going to be busy, so please, be prepared.
"Have your documents ready, make your declarations, those things can really impact border wait times, and really speed up that crossing time. Be prepared," she adds.
Travellers returning to Canada must declare all goods purchased and/or received while outside the country. It is recommended that gifts not be wrapped, as CBSA officers may need to examine them. Have your receipts readily available for purchases made outside of Canada.
Residents can bring back tax and duty free goods valued at CAN$200 after being away for 24 hours, and goods valued at CAN$800 after 48 hours. There are no personal exemptions for same-day cross-border shopping trips, so be prepared to pay tax on those purchases and possibly duty. Alcohol and tobacco allowances may also vary depending on your length of absence from Canada.
Transit Windsor will be providing Special Event Buses to the NFL Draft on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, with 10 to 12 buses going over every hour and a capacity of about 8,000 people per day.
Reservations are required for the service. Buses on Thursday and Friday will depart every hour starting at 9 a.m. until 7 p.m. Passengers may board any returning bus until 1:30 a.m.
The buses will be departing from the Windsor International Transit Terminal, located at 300 Chatham Street West.
Passengers are asked to arrive at the terminal approximately 30 minutes before their reserved time.
The draft is scheduled to be held around Campus Martius Park and Hart Plaza in Detroit, on April 25-27.
