Detroit-Windsor bridge set to open despite Trump's threats

The Gordie Howe International Bridge is moving toward opening even after Donald Trump threatened to block it, putting a $4.7 billion cross-border project at the center of a broader test of U.S.-Canada economic interdependence. The six-lane span over the Detroit River is designed to link Highway 401 in Windsor directly to Interstate 75 in Detroit, a route built for freight, commuters and the steady flow of auto industry traffic that moves through the busiest commercial corridor between the two countries.

The timing matters because the bridge is almost finished. Construction began in 2018 after the project was approved in 2014, and the crossing was already designated an official port of entry on January 30, 2026. A formal ribbon-cutting was expected later in the week, with Detroit media outlets reporting that traffic could begin using the bridge on June 15.

Trump’s threat in February ran far beyond routine border rhetoric. He said he might not allow the bridge to open, citing Canada’s refusal to stock some U.S. alcoholic beverages, Canadian dairy tariffs and Ottawa’s trade talks with China. In some accounts, he also demanded a share of future toll revenue and at least half of the bridge’s ownership, a position that underscored how little practical leverage a president has once a binational project is financed, built and nearing completion.

For automakers, suppliers and truckers, the opening is about capacity and reliability, not symbolism. The bridge adds crossing redundancy to a corridor where delays can ripple quickly through assembly lines and parts networks. Project materials say the Canadian port of entry covers 53 hectares and the U.S. port of entry 60 hectares, while Canadian officials say the Canadian side includes 24 primary inspection lanes. The bridge team says the design will improve highway-to-highway connectivity and help move goods more efficiently across a border that already handles massive truck traffic.

The project also includes a multi-use path for pedestrians and cyclists, added as toll-free access after public feedback, along with local improvements in Sandwich/west Windsor and Delray/Southwest Detroit. Canadian government materials describe the crossing as the largest and most ambitious bi-national border infrastructure project along the Canada-U.S. border, and Prime Minister Mark Carney called its opening “positive news.” For both governments, the message is the same: the commercial stakes are too high, and the bridge is too far along, for political pressure to stop it now.