[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 17]
[Senate]
[Page 23744]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




               DETROIT-WINDSOR TUNNEL'S 75TH ANNIVERSARY

 Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, November 3 marks the 75th 
anniversary of the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel. Since it first opened to 
vehicle traffic in 1930, the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel has made a 
tremendous contribution not only to my home State of Michigan, but to 
our Nation as a whole. On the occasion of this historic milestone, I 
know my colleagues join me in recognition of the Detroit-Windsor 
Tunnel, the hard-working men and women who keep it operating, the 
thousands of Americans and Canadians who pass through it each day, and 
the critical role it plays in our economic relationship with Canada.
  The Detroit-Windsor Tunnel serves as much more than a conduit for 
travel, it is a critical socioeconomic link between the United States 
and Canada. The idea for a tunnel to connect the cities of Detroit and 
Windsor was first conceived in the 1870s. After a number of failed 
attempts, Windsor Mayor Edward Blake Winter proposed a new tunnel 
project in 1919. Mayor Winter believed a tunnel would foster greater 
unity between the two countries and would serve as a memorial to the 
soldiers who were killed in World War I. After 11 years of planning and 
construction, this vision finally became a reality on November 1, 1930. 
On that day, President Herbert Hoover pressed a golden button in the 
U.S. Capitol officially opening the mile-long tunnel and forever 
changing and strengthening the relationship between the United States 
and Canada.
  Today, the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel remains the only underwater 
international tunnel open to vehicular traffic in the world. Its 
construction in the late 1920s was unparalleled by any other tunnel in 
the world and took only 26 months to complete, nearly a year ahead of 
schedule. Amazingly, the tunnel allows four full lanes of traffic to 
cross the U.S.-Canadian border at a depth of 75 feet below the surface 
of the water.
  However, it is not simply the marvel of the tunnel's engineering that 
we celebrate on its 75th anniversary. We must also recognize its 
continuing contributions to trade and travel between the United States 
and Canada. Approximately 29,000 vehicles pass through the tunnel each 
day, making the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel one of the 15 most heavily 
traveled border crossings in the United States.
  Every day, untold numbers of workers, manufacturers, and suppliers on 
both sides of the border depend on the Detroit Windsor Tunnel to get to 
jobs and transport products. Thousands of families also use the tunnel. 
This movement of people and goods has an immeasurable impact on the 
economic health of Detroit and Windsor alike. In addition, the cross-
border transit reinforces U.S.-Canadian relations.
  It is with great pride that I honor the 75 years of valuable 
contributions made by the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel. I would like to 
extend my sincerest wishes of thanks and good luck to the people of 
Detroit and Windsor and the people who keep the tunnel operating as 
they work to make its future as productive and beneficial as its 
past.

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