Gordie Howe Bridge Opens July 27 With $5.75 U.S. Car Toll

Q: Why was the historic ribbon-cutting ceremony for the $6.4 billion Gordie Howe Bridge abruptly cancelled just days before its July 2026 opening?

The ribbon-cutting was cancelled because a planned joint U.S.-Canada celebration became politically untenable after President Donald Trump announced new 50% tariffs on most Canadian goods just days before the bridge’s opening. Canada’s infrastructure ministry said it would be “inappropriate to proceed with a celebratory event between the two countries” in light of the threatened U.S. trade action. Canadian officials then opted to hold a Canada-only event instead, while the bridge itself was still expected to open to traffic on July 27. The cancellation also came against the backdrop of earlier cross-border disputes over the bridge’s operating terms. A previous ceremony scheduled for June 12 had already been postponed because the two governments were still negotiating “outstanding issues,” especially over toll governance, revenue-sharing and related operating arrangements. Canada had financed the full construction cost, and the Trump administration had pressed for changes to how toll revenue and future profits would be handled. Those issues were eventually addressed through a new agreement that included revenue-sharing with a U.S.-controlled economic development fund during the bridge’s first 15 years. But the new tariff threat reignited tensions at the last moment, prompting Canada to scrap the joint celebration even though operational plans for the bridge opening remained in place.

3 articles · Updated · WDIV ClickOnDetroit · Jul 24

Traffic on the Gordie Howe International Bridge is set to begin at 12 p.m. Monday, July 27, creating the first new Ontario-Michigan crossing in more than 60 years.
Walkers and cyclists will get access later, with the toll-free multi-use path scheduled to open Aug. 5.
Passenger vehicles will pay $5.75 each way, or $4.35 through the Breakaway discount program, undercutting current tolls on the Ambassador Bridge and Detroit-Windsor Tunnel.
The $4.5 billion bridge, built since 2018 and funded almost entirely by Canada, links I-75 in Detroit to Highway 401 in Ontario and carries six traffic lanes.
Its opening follows a last-minute deal that resolved Donald Trump's objections to the U.S.-Canada span, while Canadian officials hold a Windsor-side ceremony on July 24.