AMERICAS / THE GORDIE HOWE BRIDGE OPENS A NEW ROAD BETWEEN TWO OLD FRIENDS

One of the few first cars crossing the Gordie Howe International Bridge between Detroit and Windsor. Heading toward USA.

After years of construction, delays and political wrangling, the Gordie Howe International Bridge opened to vehicle traffic Monday, July 27, linking Detroit, Michigan, with Windsor, Ontario. The six-lane, cable-stayed bridge stretches approximately 1.5 miles across the Detroit River. 

It connects Interstate 75 in Michigan directly with Ontario’s Highway 401, creating a new route for passenger vehicles and the enormous volume of commercial traffic moving between the United States and Canada. 

The bridge is named for Gordie Howe, the Canadian-born hockey legend who spent most of his career with the Detroit Red Wings. Members of the Howe family were among the first people to cross the bridge, providing an appropriate human touch to the opening of one of North America’s largest transportation projects. 

Canada financed the multibillion-dollar project, which began construction in 2018. The new crossing offers an alternative to the privately owned Ambassador Bridge, for nearly a century the dominant commercial route between Detroit and Windsor. 

The Detroit-Windsor corridor is one of the busiest and most economically important border crossings in North America, particularly for the automobile industry. 

The bridge opened during an unusually tense period in relations between the neighboring countries. A planned joint celebration was abandoned amid disagreements over tariffs and bridge revenues, leaving Canadian officials to conduct their own ceremony. 

Yet trucks and automobiles began crossing as scheduled, demonstrating that commerce often continues even when politicians quarrel. A separate path for pedestrians and bicyclists is scheduled to open August 5. 

Use of the path will be free, allowing visitors to walk or ride across the international boundary with proper identification. 

The Gordie Howe International Bridge is more than another route across a river. It is a sweeping new landmark shared by two cities, two countries and generations of travelers who will cross the border beneath its towers.