Gordie Howe International Bridge to open July 27, Ottawa confirms
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The Gordie Howe International Bridge connecting Ontario to Michigan will open July 27, the federal government has confirmed.
Canada and Michigan agreed on Friday to open the bridge with the support of the U.S. government, according to a news release issued just after 7 p.m. ET by the federal Department of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities.
“To support this opening and ensure that benefits are felt on both sides of the border, Canada and the United States have agreed to a series of co-operative measures focused on toll governance and transparency,” the release said, “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.”
A deal to open the Gordie Howe International Bridge between Windsor, Ont., and Detroit, Mich., has been finalized between Canada and the U.S. and it will open by the end of July, confirm two sources.
The release goes on to say: “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.”
A senior Canadian government source told CBC News on Saturday afternoon that Canada will receive 50 per cent of toll profits for the first 15 years of the bridge’s operations. The other half will go toward a regional economic development fund.
The source also said if Canada wants to increase bridge tolls by more than 10 per cent, or lower than below compared regional averages, the U.S. needs to agree.
The six-lane cable-stayed bridge extends about 2.4 kilometres across the Detroit River between Windsor, Ont., and Detroit.
The bridge is named for late Canadian hockey great Gordie Howe, who spent 25 seasons leading the Detroit Red Wings.
Work on the bridge has been underway since 2018, with Canada financing construction.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony that was previously scheduled for June 12 was postponed earlier that week.
Prime Minister Mark Carney said on June 11 that the bridge opening was delayed at the request of the U.S. and that Canada had “agreed to delay the opening and take the necessary time to resolve outstanding issues.”
Although the $6.4 billion cost to Canadian taxpayers for the Gordie Howe International Bridge dates back to 2024, the figure is still the same today, even with the opening delays, according to the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority. CBC Windsor’s Emma Loop explains why.
In February, U.S. President Donald…
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