The United States and Canada have reached a deal to open a new multibillion-dollar bridge linking Detroit and Windsor, Ontario, ending a dispute that delayed the project’s launch.
The Gordie-Howe International Bridge will now open on July 27 and become the fourth crossing between Detroit and Canada.
The 1.5-mile bridge was originally supposed to open last month. The Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority said on June 11 that the U.S. and Canada had agreed to put off the opening to “resolve any outstanding issues.”
President Donald Trump — who earlier this year threatened to block the bridge’s opening unless the U.S. had an ownership stake in it — announced on Truth Social early on Saturday that he “was able to cut a MUCH BETTER DEAL for America.”
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The original deal for the “new and spectacular” bridge was “unacceptable to me,” Trump wrote in his post.
“The new deal is great, and fair. Thank you and congratulations to the Canadian Government. May we both have many years of success with this wonderful new development!!!” he concluded.
On Friday, the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority said the U.S. and Canada agreed to a “series of cooperative measures” related to how tolls would be charged to drivers.
Both sides agreed that half of the net profit the bridge generates will go to a regional development fund, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing a Canadian official.
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The original deal stipulated that all toll revenue would go to Canada until it recovered the approximately 6.4 billion CAD it cost to build the bridge. Construction began in 2018 and Canada agreed to foot the entire bill.
The Canadian official also told The Journal that the bridge authority will need U.S. approval before raising tolls by 10% or more. Approval would also be needed if the authority were to cut tolls below what is charged for comparable crossings, such as Ambassador Bridge, the official said.
Fox News Digital reached out to the White House, the Canadian Prime Minister’s Office and the bridge authority for comment on the terms of the new deal.
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In a statement on Friday, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer celebrated the opening of the bridge, which will be co-owned by her state and Canada. She did not mention Trump or the administration in her remarks.
“Thousands of Michigan workers built this critical bridge, which 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,” Whitmer said.
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She continued: “I’m proud to have fought for its opening and congratulate my partners who have worked on this issue alongside me for years.”
The Gordie Howe Bridge was named after the Canadian hockey star who won four Stanley Cup championships with the Detroit Red Wings in the 1950s.
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