Traffic begins crossing the long-awaited Gordie Howe International Bridge on Monday, opening a multibillion-dollar gateway expected to reshape trade between the U.S. and Canada — even as new tariffs cast a shadow over the celebration.
The six-lane bridge spanning the Detroit River links Windsor, Ontario, with Detroit, ending nearly a century in which the privately owned Ambassador Bridge was the area's only commercial truck crossing.
Canada celebrated the project's completion with a ribbon-cutting ceremony last week, but U.S. and Michigan officials did not attend after President Donald Trump unexpectedly announced 50% tariffs on Canadian imports.
Named after Detroit Red Wings legend Gordie Howe, the bridge is expected to speed the movement of goods, create jobs and boost tourism between the two countries.
More than 70% of Canada's exports go to the United States, and Detroit is the busiest truck crossing on the U.S.-Canada border, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.
Construction on the 1.5-mile bridge began in 2018 and was delayed in part by the COVID-19 pandemic. The span rises 151 feet above the Detroit River and will open to pedestrians and cyclists with proper identification in the coming weeks.
Canada funded the roughly $6.4 billion project. Under a recent agreement, Canada will share a portion of the bridge's toll revenue with the U.S. government for 15 years. Trump touted the revised deal on social media, writing, "We changed the terms."
Michigan is also expected to receive a share of toll revenue, although payments will not begin until Canada recovers its construction costs, a process expected to take decades.
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