Windsor — The long-awaited Gordie Howe International Bridge opened to traffic around 10:30 a.m. Monday, the culmination of eight years of construction and two decades of planning by the Canadian government.
A Detroit News reporter and photographer were among the first ten vehicles to cross the new 1.5-mile, six-lane Detroit River bridge. A Canadian border security officer handed them two commemorative postcards upon their arrival in the Canadian port of entry in Windsor.
The $4.54 billion bridge, the largest cable-stayed span in North America, was financed by the Canadian government and will be paid back through tolls charged on both sides of the Michigan-Ontario border.
Canadian officials held a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Friday for only Canadian government and business leaders after President Donald Trump imposed new tariffs on certain Canadian imports.
Whitmer takes a spin in a Mustang over Gordie Howe bridge
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who was among the American officials disinvited to Friday’s event, crossed the bridge in a Ford Mustang convertible.
Her office posted video of the governor waving to a camera while she drove over the new bridge with the top down on the black pony car, which is assembled at Ford’s Flat Rock Assembly Plant.
“This morning, I got behind the wheel of a Michigan-built Ford Mustang to mark the official opening,” Whitmer said on X. “I fought to open this bridge to build the economy and connect Michiganders to opportunities on both sides of the Detroit River.”
Opening Day draws bridge watchers to Detroit’s Delray Park
Detroiter Christine Chester arrived at Delray Park at 6 a.m. and plans to stay all afternoon to watch the first vehicles cross the Gordie Howe bridge, located just downriver from the park. To pass the time until the bridge opens at noon, Chester has been fishing for catfish.
“It’s a beautiful sight,” Chester said. “I’ve been down here fishing for several years, so I’ve been watching them build this. The last two years, just watching them put those cables and the pillars up — that’s been phenomenal. I’m just so proud to be a part of this.”
While Chester does not plan to cross the bridge today, she hopes the bridge authority will allow her to ride her e-bike across when the multi-use path opens at 8 a.m. Aug. 5.
“My intention is to go across the bridge on my e-bike since we never had that at the Ambassador Bridge,” she said. “Maybe by the fall I can bike around there a bit.”
Amy Daggett drove from New York to see the bridge open, stopping at Delray Park before crossing. Daggett, who is part of a ship-watching group called Ship Junkies, said she is looking forward to seeing ships cross under the new bridge.
“We come to Detroit a few times a season because it’s one of the bigger places to see ships,” Daggett said. “The Gordie Howe Bridge will be a great place to watch ships go under. I’m excited to drive across it, but I’m even more excited for the walking path to open.”
Ontario resident Mirka Adamsky stopped by the park after returning from a trip to Indianapolis, saying she couldn’t pass up the chance to be there on opening day.
Adamsky headed from the riverside park to line up for crossing at a little after 11 a.m.
“It’s the Gordie Howe Bridge. How often are you going to be at the crossing on the day it opens?” she said.
Beate Walles, who was visiting family in Michigan from the Netherlands, said she wanted to see the bridge that was gaining European attention.
“We’ve heard a lot about the bridge in the Netherlands,” Walles said. “We wanted to check it out before flying home. It’s better to think about growth and connections rather than blocking a great initiative.”
Anthony Scannell also does not plan to cross today, largely because he is barred from entering Canada after a drunk-driving conviction. But that has not stopped him from celebrating the bridge’s opening.
“I worked overnight, and I got off work at 6:25 a.m. exactly. I live very close, so I went home, put on my funky clothes, and got here about 7:10 a.m.,” Scannell said. “I’ve set up an American flag, an Irish flag because I had some Irish ancestors cross over.”
Scannell said he hopes the new bridge will ease traffic in Detroit but is concerned Trump will take credit for the project.
“I’m hoping it will reduce traffic. I’ve seen backups on I-75 from the Ambassador Bridge so many times,” Scannell said. “But Trump’s terrible. I mean, he has nothing to do with it. Trump, I understand, has his gripes with Canada. I might have one or two, but it’s not Canada’s fault.”
Trump is visiting Metro Detroit this afternoon to give a speech at the General Motors Proving Grounds in Milford. His administration held up the opening of the bridge to secure what the president contends is a better deal for the U.S. to get a cut of any profits from tolls generated by the bridge, which is jointly owned between the State of Michigan and Canada.
What to know about the new Gordie Howe International Bridge
Here’s a quick rundown of recent Detroit News coverage of the new bridge:
∎ Q&A: Tips for travelers crossing the Gordie Howe Bridge by vehicle or foot
∎ Howe it happened: Inside the epic fight to build a Detroit River bridge
∎ Gordie Howe Bridge to open with low tolls, massive time savings
∎ Will Gordie Howe bridge cut truck traffic in Detroit neighborhoods?
∎ Trump demanded new deal to open Gordie Howe bridge. Here’s what he got
∎ Trump jabs Gordie Howe event as Canada downplays profit-sharing deal
∎ How Canada helped Michigan collect $746M in extra highway funding
This is a developing story. Check detroitnews.com later for updates on the bridge opening.
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Gordie Howe International Bridge welcomes first vehicles from Michigan
Reporting by Alyssa Tisch and Francis X. Donnelly, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Alyssa Tisch and Francis X. Donnelly, The Detroit News | USA TODAY Network
