Gordie Howe International Bridge to open July 27 after delay

WASHINGTON — The Gordie Howe International Bridge connecting Ontario to Michigan will open July 27, the federal government has confirmed.

A planned ribbon-cutting ceremony last month was delayed as the Trump administration looked to renegotiate a long-standing agreement between Canada and the U.S.

“After years of planning, partnership and construction, the Gordie Howe International Bridge will soon be opening — providing a new connection for the region, while strengthening one of the world’s most important trade corridors,” Infrastructure Minister Gregor Robertson said in a news release Friday.

The news release said Canada and Michigan agreed to open the bridge with the support of the United States Government.

It said Canada and the U.S. agreed to a series of measures on toll governance, “as well as investments in the region, including through the establishment of a 15-year economic development fund tied to a portion of profits from bridge operations.”

“The Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority will also work collaboratively with the Government of the United States on toll-rate adjustments, seeking concurrence for certain non-market-related toll changes,” the release said.

A source with knowledge of negotiations, who was not authorized to speak publicly about them, said that under the deal, Canada gets 50 per cent of the toll profits — after operational expenses — and the other half will go to a U.S-run regional development project for a 15-year time frame.

The agreement also requires the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority to consult the U.S. on any toll changes greater than 10 per cent, the source said, or if it’s looking to lower tolls below those of comparable regional averages.

Michigan Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers posted on social media Friday that he spoke with U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick about the bridge. He said there is a “financial deal” where the U.S. will see “up to half the revenue.” He also said there would be joint determination of what the tolls would be.

Prime Minister Mark Carney, when asked if he’d be open to renegotiate the terms to open the bridge, said Thursday that “I think we’re willing to clarify aspects of the current arrangements.”

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Friday said in an emailed statement that “the Gordie Howe International Bridge has always been a great deal for our state.”

Whitmer said thousands of Michigan workers helped build the bridge, adding it “will speed up auto production, lower costs, ease traffic, strengthen agriculture, and give people on both sides of the border better-paying jobs and brighter futures.”

“I’m proud to have fought for its opening and congratulate my partners who have worked on this issue alongside me for years,” Whitmer said.

Invitations had already been sent out for a ribbon-cutting event that was set to take place June 12 to celebrate the opening of the $6.4-billion bridge connecting Windsor and Detroit, but a White House source told The Canadian Press that Lutnick intervened.

The administration official said that while Whitmer spoke with the White House about the bridge, the governor was not given a green light for it to open.

The interim chief executive of the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority said at the time that Canada and the U.S. agreed to delay the opening as the two countries attempt to “resolve any outstanding issues.” Carney later said it was at the request of the United States.

Ottawa signed the 2012 bridge deal with former governor Rick Snyder, a Republican. Canada agreed to shoulder the cost of construction and to recoup its investment through tolls, after which the money would be split with the state.

The bridge’s ownership is shared between Michigan and the Government of Canada.

Trump himself endorsed the bridge project during his first term.

But the Gordie Howe Bridge project has long faced heavy pushback from members of the billionaire Moroun family, who are longtime Republican donors and owners of the competing Ambassador Bridge.

The New York Times reported that Matthew Moroun met with Lutnick just before U.S. President Donald Trump issued a social media post in February threatening to block the bridge’s opening if the United States wasn’t compensated.

House Democrats earlier this year launched an investigation into whether the Morouns took action to obstruct the bridge’s opening.

The probe calls for Lutnick and Moroun to hand over documents related to their meeting and other communications with the White House about the bridge, among other things.

Lutnick and U.S. Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra were leading negotiations around the bridge following the abrupt delay in June.

In the weeks since, Hoekstra has made numerous comments to Canadian media claiming that the idea that Canada paid for the bridge is a myth. He has also said blocking the bridge is not linked to the Moroun family, claiming there are legitimate issues.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 10, 2026.

— With files from Catherine Morrison in Ottawa

Kelly Geraldine Malone, The Canadian Press