Automakers restart production after US-Canada bridge is cleared

Automakers are returning to normal production operations after a bridge connecting the U.S. and Canada was cleared of protesters.

The Ambassador Bridge, which connects Detroit to Windsor, reopened on Sunday after being blocked for nearly a week because of protesters demonstrating against COVID-19 vaccine mandates and other pandemic-related restrictions. Authorities arrested more than two dozen protesters before the bridge reopened.

The blockade forced some automakers to decrease or cease productions overall, which exacerbated existing shortages and supply chain issues.

Now, however, automakers say they are reverting back to pre-blockade operations.

Stellantis, which owns Jeep, Ram and other car brands, said operations were back to normal on Monday after having to scale back some shifts at plants in the U.S. and Canada due to a shortage of supplies caused by the blockade, according to The New York Times.

LouAnn Gosselin, a spokeswoman for the company, said Stellantis is “working with our carriers to get parts into the plants as quickly as possible to mitigate any further disruptions,” according to The Times.

General Motors said its factories were running as usual on Monday, The Times reported. Ford Motor said the company had not experienced any effects of the bridge blockade since Friday, but noted that a facility in Ohio would not operate this week because of a shortage in chips, the newspaper reported.

Toyota said issues related to the border would likely persist this week, but added that improvements made in the near future would likely help the supply chain rebound, according to the Times. A representative for the automotive manufacturer said its Ontario, Kentucky, Alabama and West Virginia locations faced issues related to the obstacles at the border.

A representative for the Canadian union Unifor, which stands for autoworkers and manufacturers, said it expects auto production to yield normal outcomes in the coming days, according to The Times.