DETROIT (AP) — 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 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.
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, which had a monopoly on big trucks carrying goods worth billions between the two countries, especially serving the auto industry.
“There are thousands of trucks that go over” daily, said Kevin Ketels, a business professor who teaches supply chain management at Wayne State University.
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.
Pereira, 58, said he anticipates faster travel times on both sides as trucks approach the wide bridge.
“It’s just a beautiful piece of architecture,” he said.
Canada’s 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.
Freddie Garrett, 81, said he regularly watched construction “ever since they put the foundation in” back in 2018. So naturally he showed up at Delray Park in Detroit to see the first vehicles moving overhead.
“It was amazing to see how they did it,” Garrett said. “They 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.”
Last week, Canada celebrated the Gordie Howe International Bridge with a ribbon-cutting ceremony in Windsor. U.S. and Michigan representatives were uninvited after President Donald Trump suddenly announced 50% tariffs on Canadian goods entering America.
More than 70% of Canada’s exports 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.
Animosity between the governments of the two countries “has been very challenging for us in this region,” Ketels said. “Many feel it’s unneeded and unnecessary.”
The span is 1.5 miles long and rises 151 feet above the river at its highest point. Pedestrians and bicyclists will be able to cross it for free, starting Aug. 5.
Howe is a Canadian icon known as “Mr. Hockey” who wore No. 9 while playing for the NHL’s Detroit Red Wings. He died in 2016.
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’s costs are recovered, likely decades from now.