monumental moment: gordie howe bridge opening ceremony is finally here
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the gordie howe international bridge is shown from windsor on monday, july 13, 2026.
dan janisse
/
windsor star
it forever changed the iconic windsor-detroit skyline. and with friday’s historic ribbon-cutting, it’s set to shape communities for generations.
the gordie howe international bridge is scheduled to open monday following friday’s planned celebrations, decades of debate and eight years of construction, cost increases and controversies.
the canada-only celebration amid a trade war — that’s one of the controversies — marks a monumental moment for windsor-detroit.
“we’ve been on a 25-year journey since the start of this conversation until the time the bridge opens,” said windsor mayor drew dilkens, one of the guests at friday’s celebration.
“and for the last eight years we’ve watched the bridge be built. we watched the towers come up. we watched the two halves meet in the middle. and we’ve seen this beautiful structure come together that is one of canada’s largest infrastructure projects of its time.”
after local, provincial and federal dignitaries celebrated its completion, the first vehicles are expected to start rolling along the bridge’s six traffic lanes on monday.
ryan donally, president and ceo of the windsor essex chamber of commerce, said the bridge will bring economic opportunities to the region, including job growth and investment benefitting businesses of all sizes. it also creates much-needed supply-chain resiliency, guaranteeing a route for commerce in the event of a blockade or security incident at one of the region’s crossings.
in addition, he said, the gordie howe bridge creates tourism opportunities. he expects small businesses will benefit from new cross-border pedestrian and cyclist traffic.
“this is something to celebrate,” said donally. “right now, we’re facing a time of cross-border uncertainty and political unrest between our two countries. however, this is a century-long investment, and it’s going to much outlive any of the current trade disputes.”
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pedestrians and cyclists, who will cross for free, can hit the gordie’s multi-use path starting aug. 5. dilkens called that the “more personal” aspect of a bridge commonly touted for its economic and commercial benefits.
there hasn’t been a way to walk over the windsor-detroit border since post 9/11 security fears led to the closure of a sidewalk on the competing privately owned ambassador bridge.
“it gives us an opportunity to connect with our neighbours,” said dilkens. “i think a lot of folks are looking forward to connecting with friends on either side of the border by being able to walk or cycle across the bridge.”
workers are shown at the gordie howe international bridge in detroit on february 10, 2026.
dan janisse
/
the windsor star
while it sounds enticing, a cross-border perambulation to meet for coffee might be easier said than done.
the bridge is 2.5 kilometres long, including an 853-metre main span across the detroit river. walking across it means a climb to the middle of the bridge deck, which is 46 metres above the river. that’s roughly the equivalent of a 15-storey building, high enough to accommodate international shipping lanes.
but nothing about this bridge is small.
the $6.4-billion crossing, paid for entirely by canada, is likely the largest infrastructure project in the history of windsor-detroit. it’s also the largest canadian port on the u.s.-canada border, and one of the largest in north america, according to the u.s. department of transportation.
combined, the canadian and american ports of entry take up 297 acres.
the canadian side is about 130 acres with 11 structures, 16 toll lanes and 24 primary inspection lanes. the u.s. side covers roughly 167 acres with 13 structures and 36 primary inspection lanes.
there are 216 stay cables. for every 15-metre segment between the stay cables, the deck weighs about 300 tonnes. laid end to end, the rope-like metal strands that make up those cables would stretch from windsor almost to alaska.
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the cables connect the deck to the 220-metre towers, which are meant to reflect the curvature of a hockey stick mid-slapshot. the tower on the canadian side is the tallest structure in windsor.
the long-overdue ribbon cutting was originally planned as an international celebration with canadian and u.s. officials — a shining example of the longstanding cooperation and friendship between the two nations.
but on monday, u.s. president donald trump amped up his trade war by announcing new 50 per cent tariffs against canada starting aug. 19.
after that, canada pulled out of the binational celebration, stating it would have its own party because it would be “inappropriate to proceed with a celebratory event between the two countries.”
it’s the latest twist that caused concern the bridge might miss another opening day.
the centre of the nearly completed gordie howe international bridge is shown from windsor on feb. 10, 2026.
dan janisse
/
the windsor star
shovels went into the ground on oct. 5, 2018, following decades of debate about a new windsor-detroit crossing as far back as the 1990s. the estimated price tag was $5.7 billion, and the opening date was set for november 2024.
the covid-19 pandemic and other issues pushed the targeted opening back to sept. 2025. the cost swelled to $6.4 billion.
officials said last october the opening wouldn’t happen until early 2026. then they bumped it back again to spring 2026.
there were fears opening day would be indefinitely delayed in february after trump threatened to block it unless canada agreed to a renegotiated deal.
in early june, canadian prime minister mark carney said the bridge would open within days. dilkens and other officials received invitations to a june 12 ceremony. that was postponed after the windsor-detroit bridge authority said both countries needed time to resolve “outstanding issues.”
the canadian government then confirmed july 10 that the bridge will open july 27, “with the support of the united states government,” after the two sides agreed to some renegotiations.
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a ribbon-cutting ceremony was set for july 24, with u.s. and canadian officials expected to meet on the bridge deck under each of their nation’s billowing flags. that changed tuesday with canada’s snub.
donally said he was disappointed friday’s festivities were not bi-national but felt certain both countries would have the opportunity to celebrate together in the near future.
“this is the type of infrastructure that deepens our relationship and integrates us more,” he said.
“this is something that’s going to cement our region as an economic hub, and i’m looking forward to seeing this support my kids and my grandkids’ kids and their grandkids.”
dilkens had the same hope.
“in normal times this would be the type of event that you’d have a president and prime minister meet in the middle, cut a ribbon and shake hands and celebrate the binational relationship,” he said.
“but i remain incredibly optimistic that when our trade disputes are resolved we’ll find a pathway to properly celebrate the opening of the gordie howe bridge and the man after who it’s named.”
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