The Gordie Howe International Bridge between Detroit and Windsor, Ontario, has been completed but has not opened to traffic after the U.S. and Canada agreed to delay its launch to resolve what officials called “outstanding issues,” following President Donald Trump’s public demand that Canada share bridge ownership with the United States.
Construction on the Gordie Howe International Bridge began in 2018, according to the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority and reporting by NPR and The Associated Press. The project was expected to open in 2026, but the timeline was complicated after President Donald Trump said in a social media post that he would not allow the bridge to open unless Canada agreed to change the ownership arrangement.
In June, officials scheduled a ribbon-cutting ceremony that was abruptly postponed. The Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority said Canada and the United States agreed to delay the opening while they work through “outstanding issues,” without specifying a new date.
Stephen Laskowski, president of the Canadian Trucking Alliance and head of the Ontario Trucking Association, told NPR he learned of the cancellation just as he was preparing to attend.
The bridge is jointly owned by the Canadian government and the U.S. state of Michigan. Under the financing plan, Canada agreed to cover construction costs and to share toll revenue with Michigan after those costs are recovered.
The delay has also sparked political speculation. NPR reported that some Canadian politicians have suggested the Moroun family — which owns the privately held Ambassador Bridge, a competing Detroit-Windsor crossing — could be connected to Trump’s interest in slowing the new bridge’s opening. In separate reporting, the AP cited federal campaign finance records showing Matthew Moroun donated $1 million earlier this year to a Trump-aligned super PAC.
