Here’s what you need to know about the Gordie Howe Bridge

OTTAWA — A new cross-border bridge between Windsor, Ont., and Detroit is set to open this week.

Prime Minister Mark Carney said the Gordie Howe Bridge is a symbol of co-operation between Canada and the United States.

“I just want to salute those who constructed it on both sides and looking forward to getting it done,” Carney said Tuesday.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony for the bridge, jointly owned by the governments of Canada and Michigan, is expected to take place Friday, while the bridge itself is expected to open to traffic later this month.

Here’s what you need to know about the bridge’s construction, how much it cost and the controversies around it.

Whose name is on the bridge?

The bridge is named after Gordie Howe, a Canadian hockey player who played 26 seasons in the NHL, most of that time with the Detroit Red Wings.

He led that team to four Stanley Cup championships, played in 1,767 career NHL regular season games, scored 801 goals and made 1,049 assists.

Former Michigan governor Rick Snyder said in 2015, when the bridge’s name was announced, that there was no one better than Howe to represent the two countries.

“Naming the bridge in honour of one of the most beloved public figures in Michigan and Canada reaffirms the impact this project will have for both countries,” Snyder said at the time.

Former prime minister Stephen Harper said Howe was a proud Canadian who built goodwill between the countries, and he hoped the bridge would “continue this proud legacy.”

Why was it built?

The bridge was designed to alleviate congestion along the privately owned Ambassador Bridge and the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel, which is too narrow for tractor trailers.

About a third of all trade between the U.S. and Canada moves between Detroit and Windsor and approximately 2.5 million trucks carrying more than $100 billion in trade goods use that corridor every year.

The new 2.5 kilometre bridge features six lanes — three Canadian-bound and three U.S.-bound. It stands at 150 feet above the river and 720 feet high, making it the largest Canada-U.S. land port along the shared border and one of the 10 longest bridges in North America.

Four hundred commercial vehicles are expected to cross the bridge every hour.

How much did it cost?

Under the 2012 deal signed by Snyder, Canada agreed to shoulder the cost of the bridge’s construction and recoup it later from tolls.

Revenue will be shared with Michigan once Canada’s costs are recuperated.

The cost of the bridge was initially pegged at more than $2 billion, but that number continued to grow.

In 2018, the final reported cost was $5.7 billion, including $3.8 billion to design and build the bridge and another $1.9 billion to operate and maintain it for 30 years. About $560 million was spent before construction began.

When did construction start?

While the agreement to build the bridge was struck in 2012, ground was not broken until 2018.

Construction of the bridge faced numerous delays and the crossing is set to open six years after the first projected completion date.

In July 2024, workers linked up the Windsor and Detroit sides of the bridge. That work took six years, with about 2,000 workers on site each day.

The bridge is projected to last for 125 years.

Who opposed its construction?

The project has long faced significant pushback from members of the Moroun family, who own the competing Ambassador Bridge.

House Democrats are probing whether the billionaire family took action to obstruct the Gordie Howe bridge’s opening.

The family launched multiple legal challenges of the bridge and publicly appealed to U.S. President Donald Trump to revoke a presidential permit Barack Obama granted to start construction.

What does Trump say about the bridge?

The Trump administration endorsed the bridge project in 2017 during his first term in office.

This past February, Trump posted on social media that the U.S. needed to be compensated before he’d allow the bridge to open. He falsely claimed that the bridge was built with virtually no U.S. content.

Carney spoke with Trump by phone soon after, informing him Canada paid for the construction of the bridge and that ownership is shared with Michigan.

Trump may not be willing to let it go that quickly, however. Global News reported Tuesday that a White House official said the president’s position on the bridge has not changed and the administration “remains committed to securing the best possible deal for the American people.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 9, 2026.

Canadian Press Staff, The Canadian Press