A $4.7 billion bridge that will connect Detroit and Windsor, Ontario, is set to open later this month, after President Donald Trump threatened to block it.
Trump and the Canadian government have confirmed that the Gordie Howe International Bridge will open after the U.S. and Canada struck a deal on toll revenue.
Trump said early on Saturday, “I was able to cut a MUCH BETTER DEAL for America,” and that this would in turn allow the bridge to open.
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The Canadian government, meanwhile, said that they had struck a deal with the U.S. on 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.”
Why It Matters
The deal comes amid deteriorating relations between Washington and Ottawa.
The relationship between the two neighboring countries has been strained since Trump retook office in January of 2025. Trump has repeatedly called for Canada to become the 51st state of the U.S., and the White House has brought in numerous tariffs on its northern neighbor.
In July, Trump refused to renew the North American trade pact. The refusal does not blanket kill the pact; rather, the United-States-Mexico-Canada-Agreement (USMCA) will stay in force while negotiations continue, and face an annual review, rather than a review every six years as initially designed.
Canada has moved to diversify economic ties in response to ongoing tensions with the U.S., with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney saying in April that Canada’s strong economic ties with the U.S. are a weakness that needs to be corrected.
“The U.S. has changed, and we must respond,” Carney said in a 10-minute video that signaled Canada would seek new trade deals and investments.
Deal to Open Gordie Howe International Bridge
Work on the bridge began in 2018, and Canada has financed construction of the project.
The six-lane cable-stayed bridge extends across the Detroit River between Windsor and Detroit for approximately 1.49 miles, and the idea for it was first opposed back un the early 2000s.
The bridge is named after the Canadian ice hockey player, Gordie Howe, who played with the Detroit Red Wings.
The Canadian government described the bridge as a “vital economic link” between Canada and the U.S.
The bridge will help to ease traffic on the Ambassador Bridge into Detroit. The Ambassador Bridge handled $126 billion in trade carried by commercial trucks in 2023.
A University of Windsor study states that the Gordie Howe bridge will cut minutes off the crossing time and save trucks $2.3 billion over a 30-year period.
Back in February, Trump said he might not allow the bridge to open, citing Canada’s refusal to stock some alcoholic beverages from the U.S. and trade talks with China.
He demanded that the U.S. be given at least half ownership of the bridge. Per the original arrangement, the U.S. and Canada were to equally split toll revenue; but only after Canada had recouped the money it spent financing the project.
Then in June, prior to a scheduled ribbon-cutting ceremony, the opening was again delayed as Candain and U.S. officials worked to resolve outstanding issues, and Carney said the open was delayed at the U.S.’s request.
The details of the new deal are not immediately clear.
Trump wrote on Truth Social that the original deal made was “unacceptable” to him, but that the new deal was “great, and fair.”
He thanked the Canadian government and said, “May we both have many years of success with this wonderful new development!!!”
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer said in a statement that the bridge is a “testament to the enduring partnership between Michigan and Canada and what we can get done when we think big and bet on our shared future together.”
When Will the Gordie Howe International Bridge Open?
The bridge is now set to open on Monday, July 27th.