Canadian truckers protesting vaccine mandates have shut down the busiest border crossing in North America, causing traffic to back up on the highway leading from Canada to Detroit.

Traffic created by the protesting truckers began building on the I-75 at around 3 pm on Monday. Detroit officials were forced to close the Ambassador Bridge at around 8 pm as traffic became snarled, leaving thousands of truckers stranded.

The Ambassador Bridge, which connects Detroit and Windsor, carries around 27 percent of all trade between the U.S. and Canada.

Dubbed the “Freedom Convoy,” the demonstration has brought chaos to Ottawa since late last month. But this week, as Canadian officials expressed growing dismay at the disruption, it threatened to spread well beyond the country’s borders.

The prospect of an economic impact in the United States came after the truckers won support from Republican politicians, including former President Donald Trump, and as similar convoys protesting coronavirus regulations emerged in Europe and elsewhere.

Business leaders are also worried that the traffic issues could create supply chain issues.

“Any delay or disruption in the supply chain creates problems, not just for agriculture but the state economy,” Chuck Lippstreu, president of the Michigan Agri-Business Association told The Detroit News.

The Freedom Convoy of protesting truckers began in Vancouver, with tens of thousands of truckers heading out to Ottawa to protest the government’s vaccine mandates for cross-border truckers. The convoy reached Ottawa last weekend and has since caused chaos to ensue in Canada’s capital, with disruptions spilling over into the United States.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)