Gordie Howe International Bridge officially opens amidst excitement and controversy

August 2026

Those looking to cross over the Detroit River separating Detroit, Michigan and Windsor, Ontario, now have a third option. After a long wait, the Gordie Howe International Bridge officially opened to traffic on 27 July 2026.

Named in honour of the late Canadian professional ice hockey player Gordie Howe, who played the bulk of his career for the Detroit Red Wings, it was built as an alternative to the nearby Ambassador Bridge, a privately-owned international bridge owned by the Moroun family of Detroit through their Detroit International Bridge Company. The opening of the Gordie Howe International Bridge brings a contentious two-decade long planning and construction process to an end.

When first proposed in the early 2000s, the bridge was met with strong opposition by the late Matty Moroun, who feared the new publicly-owned Howe bridge would cut into his company’s revenues for the Ambassador Bridge, the only privately-owned international crossing in North America. The Ambassador Bridge, which opened in 1929, has been up to this point, been the busiest international border crossing in North America, with more than 25% of all merchandise trade between the United States and Canada transiting across it and 60 to 70% of commercial truck traffic in the region.

Construction of the Howe Bridge began in 2018, a cable-stayed bridge with a total length of 1.6 miles, standing 151 feet over the Detroit river and having a total height of 722 feet. It features six lanes for vehicle traffic and a bicycle and walking path. The bridge is jointly-owned by the Canadian government and the State of Michigan and operated by the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority, a Canadian Crown Corporation.

The biggest advantage for the Howe Bridge as it relates to commercial traffic as Highway 401, a freeway and a major transportation route running the entire length of southern Ontario, was extended to connect directly with the bridge. Traffic accessing both the Ambassador Bridge and the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel must transit along city streets on the Canadian side. Although commercial traffic can access the tunnel for crossings, large commercial vehicles are prohibited, leaving them with only bridge access. This was a major point of contention, as until the opening of the Howe Bridge, the Ambassador Bridge had a stranglehold on large commercial traffic, something the Moroun family was very reluctant to give up.

While the planning and construction process has come to an end, controversy continues to hover over the bridge. On 8 February 2026, American President Donald Trump threatened to block the opening of the bridge by refusing to open the customs port of entry on the American side. The State of Michigan had no say in the matter, as border ports of entry are a federal responsibility.

President Trump cited Canada’s recent efforts to focus on expanding trade opportunities with China, the alleged one-sided nature of the contract specifying toll-sharing for bridge traffic and the false allegation of a lack of American materials that went into the construction. The original agreement specified that Canada, who funded the entire $6.4 billion cost of construction, would split the toll revenues 50-50 with Michigan after all construction costs had been recovered. After cancelling the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the bridge on 12 June, Canada entered into a new agreement to split toll revenues immediately, with those revenues allocated to an American “regional economic development fund” during its first 15 years of operation.

Allegations for the delay in opening the bridge centered on a New York Times report that Matthew Moroun, son of Matty Moroun and current owner, had donated $1 million to a Trump-affiliated super PAC, along with the projected revenue losses of duty-free gasoline sales on bridge property. This was denied by the Moroun family and American Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra.

Reports have also stated that numerous international trucking companies will continue to use the Ambassador Bridge due to contracts that give them discounted or flat-rate tolls for travel across it, with some being strongly persuaded to enter into such contracts in an apparent bid to retain their business.

Sources: Gordie Howe International Bridge – Wikipedia, Trump threatens to block opening of new bridge between Windsor and Detroit | CBC News.