A new Canadian-built bridge across the Detroit River that U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to block may take longer to open than anticipated, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Wednesday.
“Look, everyone's working hard to make sure the bridge is open as soon as possible. There is no big drama. If it takes a little longer it will take a little bit longer, but this will benefit Canadians, Americans, business, tourists, residents for decades and decades to come,” Carney said on his way into Parliament.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Gordie Howe International Bridge, jointly owned by Canada and the U.S. state of Michigan, is set to take place on Friday, while the bridge itself may not open to traffic immediately.
Carney said Tuesday that the second bridge between Windsor and Detroit would “be open at the end of the week.”
Friday's ceremony will take place following a recent conversation between Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, according to a person familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private talks.
In February, Trump demanded that Canada turn over at least half the ownership of the bridge to the U.S. federal government and agree to other unspecified demands in one of his many salvos over cross-border trade issues.
The bridge, which connects Windsor, Ontario, and Detroit, would be a vital economic artery between Canada and the United States. It is named after the late Canadian hockey great who spent 25 seasons with the Detroit Red Wings.
The building project was negotiated by Rick Snyder, the former Republican governor of Michigan, and paid for by Canada to help ease congestion at the existing Ambassador Bridge and Detroit-Windsor tunnel. Work has been underway since 2018.
Trump threatened the bridge as the United States-Mexico-Canada trade agreement is up for review this year, and Trump has been taking a hard-line position before those talks, including by issuing new tariff threats.
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Associated Press writer Joey Cappelletti in Washington contributed to this report.
