A new Canadian-built bridge across the Detroit River, once threatened by Donald Trump, is set to open at the end of the week, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced Tuesday.
The Gordie Howe International Bridge, a crucial economic artery connecting Windsor, Ontario, and Detroit, Michigan, was initially expected to open earlier this year.
The bridge, named after the late Canadian hockey legend Gordie Howe, who played 25 seasons for the Detroit Red Wings, aims to alleviate congestion on the existing Ambassador Bridge and Detroit-Windsor tunnel.
Construction has been underway since 2018, with the Canadian government fully funding the project.
In February, Donald Trump had demanded that Canada relinquish at least half the ownership of the bridge and agree to other unspecified terms.
These demands were part of his broader challenges regarding cross-border trade issues, particularly as the United States-Mexico-Canada trade agreement faces review this year, prompting Trump to adopt a hard-line stance and issue new tariff threats.
Prime Minister Carney hailed the bridge's imminent opening as a triumph of collaboration. "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 told reporters. He added that it would be "great for Canadians going across the border, Americans coming across the border, and for commerce," calling it "positive news."
Carney has also publicly criticized economic coercion by the United States on the global stage.
The project, negotiated by former Michigan Governor Rick Snyder, a Republican, has been lauded by Michigan officials. Sen. Elissa Slotkin, a Michigan Democrat, described the Canadian-funded initiative as a "huge boon" for her state and its economic future.
Michigan is a pivotal swing state that Donald Trump carried in both 2016 and 2024.
Snyder previously clarified in an op-ed for The Detroit News that Trump's assertion of Canada owning both sides of the bridge was incorrect.
"Canada and the state of Michigan are 50/50 owners of the new bridge," Snyder wrote. "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."
