What better way to understand concepts big and small than through data visualizations? In this blog series, we curate insightful visuals to provide commentary on events, academic theories and themes related to economics and transportation. Join us as we explore and engage with interesting ideas from around the world.
The road network serves as foundational infrastructure for the end-to-end movement of freight in any economy, especially when trading partners share a land border as extensive as the nearly 9,000 km between Canada and the US. This week’s Data Vizdom delves into trucking and the bridges that facilitate cross-border trade in the bi-national St. Lawrence – Great Lakes region.
While the network is essential for domestic trade across the vast geographies of both countries, it also facilitates the flow of a significant portion of the $2.7 billion worth of goods and services that cross the border each day. In 2020, of the CAD$384 billion in exports to the US, 54.2% of goods were shipped by truck.
Road Transportation: Heavyweight of the Canadian Economy – Library of Parliament (May 2, 2022)
The outsized importance of the road network is more stark In terms of imports, as 71.5% of the CAD$264 billion of imports from the US came into Canada by trucks in 2020.
Road Transportation: Heavyweight of the Canadian Economy – Library of Parliament (May 2, 2022)
Looking more closely at the geography of international road border crossings between Canada and the US, much of the truck traffic flows through the St. Lawrence – Great Lakes region, particularly through the bridges connecting Southern Ontario, Michigan and New York.
Transportation in Canada 2020 – Transport Canada (June 30, 2021)
Among these bridges, the four-lane Ambassador Bridge, which connects Windsor with Detroit across the Detroit River, is the busiest road border crossing in North America, handling 25% of the total value of goods traded between Canada and the US.
Truckers in perfect spot to threaten cross-border trade – Reuters (February 11, 2022)
At an aggregate level, the bridge represents a large portion of trade between the two economies. GPS data from trucks crossing the Ambassador Bridge reveal the wide geographic spread of economic activity originating from Canada, with a high concentration of trips starting as far east as the Greater Montreal region.
Assessing Economic Impacts and Realizing Economic Opportunities – Cross-Border Institute (February 24, 2021)
Examining the data for trips originating from the US, the highest concentration of trips is from Michigan, Indiana and Ohio. However, small pockets of freight also originate from urban centers in Texas and from Los Angeles on the West Coast!
Assessing Economic Impacts and Realizing Economic Opportunities – Cross-Border Institute (February 24, 2021)
In conclusion, road transportation infrastructure plays a vital role in facilitating trade between Canada and the US, enabling the movement of freight from regions far beyond key international border crossings. Investments like the six-lane Gordie Howe International Bridge are expected to enhance the resilience of this critical trade corridor by reducing bottlenecks and accelerating traffic flow through its efficient highway-to-highway design.
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