We’ve known for weeks, if not months, that the new Gordie Howe International Bridge was finished, complete, ready for traffic − and that for all that it still wasn’t open, largely because of questions about whether President Donald Trump was on board with cars and trucks crossing the span (which Canada, by the way, paid to build).
Then, on Friday, July 10, an agreement was signaled − first by Republican former U.S. Rep. (and Senate candidate) Mike Rogers, speaking on a Detroit radio show and then by a joint statement from the Canadian government and the state of Michigan − that the long-awaited, $4.7 billion (U.S.) span would be open on Monday, July 27.
And it certainly seems like this date may stick.
What do we know about the deal that appears set to break loose the jersey barriers? Here you go:
What the joint statement said
That statement from Canada and Michigan announcing the date didn’t speak in too many specifics. But it mentioned, at one point, that the United States and Canada had “agreed to a series of cooperative measures focused on toll governance and transparency, as well as investments in the region, including through the establishment of a 15-year economic development fund tied to a portion of profits from bridge operations.”
It also said the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority (or WDBA, the Canadian-based government-charted corporation that oversaw the development of the bridge) “will also work collaboratively with the Government of the United States on toll-rate adjustments, seeking concurrence for certain non-market related toll changes.”
What that means
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney told CTV, the Canadian television network, on Sunday, July 12, that the deal between the two countries calls for his country splitting net profits from the bridge revenues with the United States for 15 years, with the U.S. share being “invested back in economic development” on the American side.
Carney, however, was careful to point out in the interview that “the word ‘net’ does a lot of work in this,” pointing out that any profit comes only after Canada makes its payments on the upfront funds and interest on the billions it took to build the bridge.
Remember, under the 2012 agreement signed by then-Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder and then-Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper (and tacitly approved by then-President Barack Obama’s administration), Canada, while sharing ownership of the bridge with Michigan, financed the bridge on its own, with that debt to be paid back with tolls first before splitting any profits. So under the new agreement, it would split (50-50, according to a news release put out July 13th by U.S. Rep. Lisa McClain, R-Bruce Township) any amounts over and above the regular debt payments with the U.S. in the first 15 years, though Carney said he doesn’t expect that amount to be much as traffic levels slowly ramp up.
What about the toll rate changes?
Carney didn’t address it with CTV but CBC, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp., said a source told it the agreement calls for getting the United States to sign off if Canada wants to increase tolls by more than 10% or set them below regional cross-border averages.
Has Trump signed off on it?
Apparently so. In February 2026, it was Trump who threw a wrench into the works when he abruptly (after a member of his Cabinet met with the owner of the rival Ambassador Bridge and said owner gave a Trump-backed committee $1 million) said the new bridge wouldn’t open without some unspecified trade concessions.
But he appears more than satisfied with the deal that his people have struck.
On Saturday, July 11, he wrote on his Truth Social website, “I was able to cut a MUCH BETTER DEAL for America, and by so doing, will be allowing the new and spectacular Gordie Howe International Bridge, spanning Detroit and Windsor, Ontario, to open on July 27th, as scheduled.”
“The original deal made was unacceptable to me! The new deal is great, and fair. Thank you and congratulations to the Canadian Government. May we both have many years of success with this wonderful new development!!!”
Trump has, of course, changed his mind on many issues before, including many involving Canada and cross-border trade, so we’ll wait to see if this is actually the last word on the new bridge.
Contact Todd Spangler: tspangler@freepress.com. Follow him on X @tsspangler.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: What Canada gave up to Trump to open the Gordie Howe bridge
Reporting by Todd Spangler, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Todd Spangler, Detroit Free Press | USA TODAY Network
