Gordie Howe Bridge Set to Open, Streamlining Trade Between Canada and US

After 25 years of planning and seven years of construction, the Gordie Howe International Bridge connecting Windsor, Ont., to Detroit is finally opening. The bridge will significantly speed up travel time for trucks, which has major economic benefits.

The existing Blue Water Bridge, Ambassador Bridge, and Detroit-Windsor Tunnel have supported massive amounts of trade for decades but are near capacity. Canadian Trucking Alliance CEO Stephen Laskowski says this has led to congestion at customs plazas on both sides of the Ambassador Bridge.

With three lanes of capacity going in each direction, the Gordie Howe is expected to take 44.5% of commercial traffic through the Windsor-Detroit corridor. This could save truck drivers around 850,000 hours per year in wait times and trucking companies between $20,000 and $100,000 a month.

The bridge could also have significant benefits for the economy writ large. The Windsor-Detroit corridor sees over $1 billion in daily trade, making it the busiest international land border crossing in North America. Any efficiency gained from faster crossings could mean businesses don't raise prices as quickly, which could keep inflation under control.

Despite the benefits, Canada will have to begin paying back the bridge's hefty price tag of $6.4 billion. The initial agreement between Canada and Michigan would have seen Canada collect all tolls and use the revenue to pay down its debt before sharing it with Michigan.