TORONTO (AP) — The Gordie Howe International Bridge linking Detroit and Windsor, Ontario will begin operations at the end of this week, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced Tuesday, despite previous threats from U.S. President Donald Trump to halt the project.
Trump had demanded in February that Canada surrender no less than fifty percent ownership of the crossing and comply with additional unspecified conditions as part of his ongoing disputes over trade relations between the two nations.
The crossing, which spans the Detroit River between Windsor, Ontario and Detroit, Michigan, represents a crucial commercial link between Canada and the United States. The project’s website had indicated the bridge was scheduled to begin operations earlier this year.
The span bears the name of the legendary Canadian hockey player who played 25 seasons for the Detroit Red Wings.
Former Michigan Governor Rick Snyder, a Republican, helped negotiate the agreement, with Canada providing full funding to reduce traffic bottlenecks at the current Ambassador Bridge and Detroit-Windsor tunnel. Construction began in 2018.
“Obviously the bridge will be open at the end of the week. A symbol of, but also a fact of cooperation between our countries,” Carney stated to media as he entered Parliament.
“Great for Canadians going across the border, Americans coming across the border, and for commerce,” he added, describing the development as “positive news.”
Trump’s opposition to the bridge comes as the United States-Mexico-Canada trade agreement faces review this year, with the president taking an aggressive stance ahead of negotiations and issuing fresh tariff warnings.
Carney has publicly criticized economic pressure tactics by the United States on the international stage.
Michigan Democrat Sen. Elissa Slotkin has described the Canadian-financed project as a “huge boon” for her state’s economic prospects.
Michigan represents a key swing state that Trump won in both 2016 and 2024 elections.
In an opinion piece published in The Detroit News this year, Snyder disputed Trump’s claims that Canada controls both the American and Canadian portions of the Gordie Howe bridge.
“Canada and the state of Michigan are 50/50 owners of the new bridge,” Snyder explained. “Canada was wonderful and financed the entire bridge. They will get repaid with interest from the tolls. Michigan and the United States got their half-ownership with no investment.”
The new Gordie Howe crossing will serve alongside the privately owned Ambassador Bridge as the second connection between Detroit and Windsor, Ontario.
The competing Ambassador Bridge handles the highest volume of U.S.-Canadian border traffic, processing 25% of total trade between both nations and playing a critical role in automotive manufacturing.
The Moroun family, who control the competing Ambassador Bridge, had previously filed lawsuits attempting to stop construction of the Howe bridge.
