New Gordie Howe International Bridge Opens Amid US-Canada Trade Tensions

Officials are gathering Friday in Ontario to take delight in a new U.S.-Canada bridge over the Detroit River, an international span that is expected to enhance trade on both sides of the border and give travelers another route to both countries.

A ceremony is taking place in Windsor, Ontario, before the Gordie Howe International Bridge opens to traffic Monday. It was supposed to be a celebration on the bridge deck with officials from both countries, but Canada said no to a joint gathering after President Donald Trump this week suddenly announced 50% tariffs on Canadian goods entering the U.S.

“It's regretful that we're at this point in time with our trade relationship. We're hopeful for better days ahead,” Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens told WXYZ-TV in Detroit.

More than 70% of Canada’s exports go to the U.S., making America its largest trade partner, and Detroit is the No. 1 port for truck traffic on the U.S.-Canada border, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.

The Howe bridge will instantly create competition. For nearly a century, the privately owned Ambassador Bridge has been the only route for large commercial trucks moving between the U.S. and Canada at Detroit.

Detroit Mayor Mary Sheffield said she had been invited to a two-country event Friday before things abruptly changed.

“It will be vital for our economy,” Sheffield said of the bridge, sidestepping a question about whether it had become a “political football” in the rocky relationship between the countries.

The bridge is named for Howe, a famous Canadian who played hockey for the NHL's Detroit Red Wings. He died in 2016. Construction, which began in 2018, took years, partly because of a global slowdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The six-lane bridge is 1.5 miles (2.4 kilometers) long and stands 151 feet (46 meters) above the Detroit River at its highest point. Pedestrians and bicyclists carrying proper identification will be able to cross it for free in a few weeks.

Canada paid to build the bridge at an estimated cost of $6.4 billion. A recent agreement says Canada will share some toll revenue with the U.S. government for 15 years. Michigan will also get a share, but not until Canada’s costs are recovered, likely decades in the future.