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(Bloomberg) — Officials in the US and Canada are planning a ribbon-cutting ceremony in the coming days for a new C$6.4 billion ($4.6 billion) bridge linking Michigan to the province of Ontario, which President Donald Trump threatened to block earlier this year.
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The event with representatives from both countries will mark the completion of the Gordie Howe International Bridge over the Detroit River. The crossing has been under construction since 2018.
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The Detroit News reported earlier that the ceremony is set for Friday and that the bridge will open for traffic on June 15.
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The bridge, named after the late Canadian hockey player who starred for the Detroit Red Wings, was built to reduce shipping congestion in a region that lives on trade — particularly for the automotive industry. It was paid for by Canada, which agreed to finance the crossing to create an alternative to the privately owned Ambassador Bridge.
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“The project team is progressing well towards a spring opening of the Gordie Howe International Bridge, which will be a vital economic link between the two countries,” said a spokeswoman for the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority, the agency that will operate the bridge. “Additional details will be shared in the coming days.”
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In February, Trump said in a social media post that he wouldn’t allow the bridge to open until the US was “fully compensated for everything we have given” Canada, “and also, importantly, Canada treats the United States with the Fairness and Respect that we deserve.”
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There has been no public sign that the issues Trump raised have been resolved to his satisfaction. The US ambassador to Canada, Pete Hoekstra, told Detroit media in April that higher-than-expected costs and lower border traffic raised questions about whether Michigan would ever see its share of the proceeds.
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The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment and it’s not clear whether it supports any opening.
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Trump’s February ultimatum followed a meeting between US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and the owners of the Ambassador Bridge.
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Long before Trump’s post, Canada and the state of Michigan agreed to share ownership of the bridge. The two parties are set to split revenues from bridge tolls once Canada has collected enough money to recoup its costs.
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Border traffic has fallen partly because some Canadian travelers are staying away from the US, angered by Trump’s “51st state” rhetoric against their country, which the US president recently revived.
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—With assistance from Laura Dhillon Kane and Melissa Shin.
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English (US)