{"id":6678,"date":"2026-07-26T21:11:55","date_gmt":"2026-07-27T04:11:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/infonews.ca\/news\/7762942\/traffic-to-start-flowing-monday-across-new-bridge-between-canada-and-us\/"},"modified":"2026-07-27T14:45:57","modified_gmt":"2026-07-27T21:45:57","slug":"us-canada-bridge-opens-in-detroit-even-as-trade-disputes-test-the-neighbors-ties","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/infonews.ca\/inwheels\/news\/6678\/us-canada-bridge-opens-in-detroit-even-as-trade-disputes-test-the-neighbors-ties\/","title":{"rendered":"US-Canada bridge opens in Detroit even as trade disputes test the neighbors’ ties"},"content":{"rendered":"

DETROIT (AP) \u2014 A major new bridge<\/a> linking Canada and the U.S. at Detroit opened Monday to trucks, cars and other vehicles, the climax of a yearslong project that lately had been bruised a bit by international politics.<\/p>\n

Descendants of Gordie Howe, the hockey legend whose name is on the bridge, were among the first to cross over the Detroit River, which separates the Motor City from Windsor, Ontario. U.S. Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., rode a motorcycle, while Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer drove a Ford Mustang with the top down.<\/p>\n

The six-lane span, which was built by Canada at a cost of $6.4 billion Canadian, now becomes a less-expensive alternative to the privately owned Ambassador Bridge<\/a>, which had a monopoly on big trucks carrying goods worth billions between the two countries, especially in service to the auto industry.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are thousands of trucks that go over\u201d daily, said Kevin Ketels, a business professor who teaches supply chain management at Wayne State University.<\/p>\n

Jim Pereira, who was hauling auto parts for Ontario-based Onfreight Logistics, was recognized as the first trucker to arrive in Detroit. He blasted his air horn a few times and stepped down from the wheel to take selfies with customs officers and exchange high-fives.<\/p>\n

Pereira, 58, said he anticipates faster travel times on both sides as trucks approach the wide bridge.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt’s just a beautiful piece of architecture,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Canada\u2019s minister of infrastructure noted that the bridge resembles the curve of a hockey stick blade. Steel cables, stretching from towers to the deck, look like giant music harps. <\/p>\n

Freddie Garrett, 81, said he regularly watched construction \u201cever since they put the foundation in\u201d back in 2018. So naturally he showed up at Delray Park in Detroit to see the first vehicles moving overhead.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was amazing to see how they did it,\u201d Garrett said. \u201cThey put up one section at a time and then they met together in the middle. I’m sure it will be there longer than I’ll be around.\u201d<\/p>\n

Last week, Canada celebrated the Gordie Howe International Bridge with a ribbon-cutting ceremony<\/a> in Windsor. U.S. and Michigan representatives were uninvited after President Donald Trump suddenly announced 50% tariffs on Canadian goods<\/a> entering America. <\/p>\n

More than 70% of Canada\u2019s exports<\/a> 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<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Animosity between the governments of the two countries \u201chas been very challenging for us in this region,\u201d Ketels said. \u201cMany feel it’s unneeded and unnecessary.\u201d<\/p>\n

The span is 1.5 miles (2.4 kilometers) long and rises 151 feet (46 meters) above the river at its highest point. Pedestrians and bicyclists will be able to cross it for free, starting Aug. 5. <\/p>\n

Howe is a Canadian icon known as \u201cMr. Hockey\u201d<\/a> who wore No. 9 while playing for the NHL\u2019s Detroit Red Wings. He died in 2016. <\/p>\n

A recent agreement between Canada and the Trump administration says Canada will share some toll revenue with the U.S. government for 15 years. Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder in 2012 separately negotiated a share for the state, but it won’t be paid until Canada\u2019s costs are recovered, likely decades from now.<\/p>\n

\n \"|\"
The Canadian bulk freighter G3 Marquis passes under the Gordie Howe International Bridge between Detroit, Mich. and Windsor, Ontario on its opening day, Monday, July 27 2026. (Jacob Hamilton\/Ann Arbor News via AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\n \"|\"
A semitrailer crosses the Gordie Howe International Bridge between Detroit, Mich. and Windsor, Ontario on its opening day, Monday, July 27 2026. (Jacob Hamilton\/Ann Arbor News via AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\n \"|\"
The Detroit skyline as seen from the Gordie Howe International Bridge between Detroit, Mich. and Windsor, Ontario on its opening day, Monday, July 27 2026. (Jacob Hamilton\/Ann Arbor News via AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

DETROIT (AP) \u2014 A major new bridge linking Canada and the U.S. at Detroit opened Monday to trucks, cars and other vehicles, the climax of a yearslong project that lately had been bruised a bit by international politics. Descendants of Gordie Howe, the hockey legend whose name is on the bridge, were among the first […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":521,"featured_media":6702,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"guid":"f15a2678-3fe3-433c-850b-89c8c87bdf51","source":"The Associated Press","byline":"Mike Householder And Ed White","published":"2026-07-26 21:11:55","updated":"2026-07-27 14:38:56","_infotelid":"","_prepressid":"","_multisite_post_sync":"","_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[638,1464,1296,1303,1297],"tags":[],"region":[1280,1305,1299,1306,1307],"class_list":["post-6678","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business","category-construction","category-hockey","category-international","category-sports","region-canada","region-nova-scotia","region-ontario","region-windsor","region-windsor-nova-scotia"],"blocksy_meta":{"styles_descriptor":{"styles":{"desktop":"","tablet":"","mobile":""},"google_fonts":[],"version":8}},"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/infonews.ca\/inwheels\/news\/6678\/us-canada-bridge-opens-in-detroit-even-as-trade-disputes-test-the-neighbors-ties\/","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"US-Canada bridge opens in Detroit even as trade disputes test the neighbors’ ties","url":"http:\/\/infonews.ca\/inwheels\/news\/6678\/us-canada-bridge-opens-in-detroit-even-as-trade-disputes-test-the-neighbors-ties\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/infonews.ca\/inwheels\/news\/6678\/us-canada-bridge-opens-in-detroit-even-as-trade-disputes-test-the-neighbors-ties\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/infonews.ca\/inwheels\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/inwheels-9c054894f21988a895416b65961dc1a4dfcbd2c9db1e8196b95b26777a735e78.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/infonews.ca\/inwheels\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/inwheels-9c054894f21988a895416b65961dc1a4dfcbd2c9db1e8196b95b26777a735e78.jpg"},"articleSection":"business","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"The Associated Press"}],"creator":["The Associated Press"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"iNwheels","logo":""},"keywords":[],"dateCreated":"2026-07-27T04:11:55Z","datePublished":"2026-07-27T04:11:55Z","dateModified":"2026-07-27T21:45:57Z"},"rendered":"