The region provides access to hundreds of millions of consumers in North American markets and is capable of shipping cargo anywhere around the world.
With a port at the midway point of the Great Lakes/St.
Lawrence Seaway System, an international airport capable of shipping cargo anywhere around the world as well as two international crossings, with a third on its way, Windsor-Essex is uniquely positioned to provide access to hundreds of millions of consumers.
And the city’s rail connections support local businesses and provide access for goods on their way to North American markets through a rail tunnel connecting Windsor-Essex and Michigan.
Windsor-Essex is also at the western terminus of Highway 401 providing a direct link to interstate highways in the U.S.
Windsor’s International Airport offers a 9,300-foot runway, no curfews and no congestion which makes it uniquely positioned to satisfy a wide range of air cargo needs, said Jim McCormack, director of finance at Windsor Airport.
Only seven kilometers from the U.S. border, the airport is federally designated as a trans-shipment point, permitting Canadian and foreign air carriers to use the airport as a transit point for incoming and outbound international cargo and U.S. carriers do not need to pay for air rights.
The airport also boasts a new truck-to-truck cargo complex anchored by FedEx on its northern perimeter and with airport lands immediately adjacent to international CN and CP railways, the airport is ideally located for future truck-to-rail development with approximately 1,500 acres of industrial land available for development.
Windsor’s port is also perfectly positioned as a gateway to the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway making it an ideal shipping point for millions of tonnes of cargo including salt, sand, stone and construction aggregates, all destined for international or domestic markets.
Last year, more than 5.6 million tonnes of cargo passed through the Port of Windsor exceeding both five and 10-year averages. Much of the growth came in the shipping of stone and aggregates for the construction of a 100-acre customs and truck plaza which will serve the new Gordie Howe International Bridge. There is approximately 60 acres of available land for development around the port.
A new border crossing, the “Gordie Howe” International Bridge and its approach roads and customs plaza, is being constructed with an investment of $4B.
“Essentially the new bridge, with its greater efficiencies because of three lanes, will make all businesses shipping goods into the U.S. that much closer to major North American markets,.” said Bill Anderson director of the Cross Border Institute at the University of Windsor.
“It also opens up land-use opportunities for more logistics companies to locate adjacent to the new customs plaza as well as on Highway 401 just outside Windsor,” said Anderson. “With a direct highway to highway link, it is even more efficient now for shipping goods across the border in both directions.”
There are almost two dozen customs brokerage firms operating in the Windsor-Essex region, 17 licensed customs sufferance warehouses and several customs-bonded warehouses. There are more than 4,300 employees in the region’s logistics and warehousing industries, 50 transportation companies and more than 3,500 truck drivers reside in the region.
There is no doubt that Windsor-Essex is perfectly positioned to meet the needs of companies exporting goods to the U.S. and anywhere else in the world through a perfect combination of rail, air, water and road transportation systems.
