July 27, 2026 8:03 AM, EDT
A truck is parked during a Canadian celebration marking the Gordie Howe International Bridge on July 24 in Windsor, Ontario. (Paul Sancya/AP)
Key Takeaways:
Traffic begins July 27 on the Gordie Howe International Bridge linking Detroit and Windsor after Canada completed the multibillion-dollar cross-border project.The bridge adds a second Detroit truck crossing, where the Ambassador Bridge long handled commercial traffic and Detroit remains the busiest U.S.-Canada truck port.Canada funded the estimated $6.4 billion bridge and will share toll revenue with the U.S., while Michigan receives revenue after costs are recovered.
DETROIT — Traffic is set to start flowing July 27 across a new bridge over the Detroit River that will serve as a critical route for trade, jobs and tourism between Canada and the U.S.
Last week, Canada celebrated the Gordie Howe International Bridge with a ribbon-cutting ceremony in Windsor, Ontario, to mark the completion of the multibillion-dollar, multiyear project.
U.S. and Michigan representatives were uninvited from Friday’s gathering after President Donald Trump suddenly announced 50% tariffs on Canadian goods entering America.
The bridge is named for Howe, a Canadian icon known as “Mr. Hockey” who wore No. 9 while playing on the other side of the Detroit River for the NHL’s Detroit Red Wings. He died in 2016.
More than 70% of Canada’s exports go to the U.S., making America its largest trade partner, and Detroit is the No. 1 port for truck traffic on the U.S.-Canada border, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.
For nearly a century, the privately owned Ambassador Bridge has been the only route for large commercial trucks moving between the U.S. and Canada at Detroit. Businesses say the new six-lane span will be faster and less expensive.
We’re opening to traffic on Monday as early as 12:00pm. Do you have your #Breakaway tags installed and activated? Log in to your online account to activate your tags. Your tags work in any toll lane when you #GoHowe.
Sign up and receive toll discounts: https://t.co/bBOYXHaVZg pic.twitter.com/RjHSVh2u4D
— Gordie Howe International Bridge (@GordieHoweBrg) July 25, 2026
The span is 1.5 miles long and rises 151 feet above the river at its highest point. Pedestrians and bicyclists carrying proper identification will be able to cross it for free in a few weeks.
Construction on the new bridge began in 2018 but took years, partly because of a global slowdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Canada paid to build the bridge at an estimated cost of $6.4 billion. A recent agreement says Canada will share some toll revenue with the U.S. government for 15 years.
Trump praised his administration for that deal in a social media post while the Ontario event was in progress. “We changed the terms,” he said.
Michigan will also get a share, but not until Canada’s costs are recovered, likely decades from now.