The first full month of summer showed a modest improvement in vehicle traffic across the Sault Ste. Marie International Bridge, but volumes across the span during July continue to be dramatically off last year’s pace.
Bridge authority numbers released this week show one-way traffic crossings totalled 91,967 for the month. That’s down by 29,060 vehicles from July 2024, representing a 24 per cent drop for that month from 2024 to 2025.
That’s a slight boost from the 26.7 per cent decrease recorded in June and better than the 29.8 per cent reduction posted for May.
Crossings for the first seven months of this year amount to 469,651, down 23.1 per cent from the same period in 2024.
During July, one-way passenger car crossings were down 27.2 per cent when compared to the same month last year. During May, passenger vehicle traffic was down 35 per cent from the same time last year.
This category of vehicle represents more than 52 per cent of all crossings.
Vehicles identified as commuters are down 21.5 per cent from the same month last year and those cars pulling trailers have dropped by 20.9 per cent from last year.
Even commercial truck traffic is off by 24 per cent when compared to July 2024.
Since the 4.5-kilometre bridge, spanning the St. Mary’s River between Sault Ste. Marie, Ont. and Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., opened in 1962, there have been 106.4 million vehicle crossings. The revenue from bridge tolls fund operations and maintenance of the structure.
