Why Trump Wants to Stop Gordie Howe Bridge Opening

The opening of the Gordie Howe International Bridge, connecting Detroit and Windsor across the US–Canada border, remains uncertain after President Trump said he might block it.

Writing on Truth Social this week, Trump said the US will not allow the 2.5-km bridge to open unless it is “fully compensated for everything” it has provided to Canada. 

He said negotiations would begin immediately, though he did not explain how Washington could actually prevent the launch.

The project is being developed by the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority, a Canadian Crown corporation. Ownership is expected to be shared between Canada and the state of Michigan. 

In his post, Trump argued the US should control “at least one half of this asset” and criticised Canada for proceeding with what he described as “virtually no US content.”

The project comprises four main components: the bridge itself, ports of entry in Canada and the U.S., and the Michigan Interchange—a 1.8-mile stretch connecting to I-75 in Detroit. 

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The bridge, expected to become the longest cable-stayed bridge in North America, is part of a $4.7 billion project fully funded by Canada. In return, Canada will collect all toll revenues until the investment is repaid, after which proceeds will be shared with the United States.

But behind the scenes, political and economic interests are threatening to stop the bridge named after Canadian ice hockey legend and Detroit Red Wings star Gordie Howe.

For example, Manuel Moroun, who owns the nearby Ambassador Bridge—the busiest crossing over the US-Canada border—spent decades trying to stop the Gordie Howe Bridge from being built to protect the $60 million in tolls the bridge earns each year.

The Moroun family even asked President Trump to halt construction during his first term.

In 2017, Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau issued a joint statement calling the new bridge a “vital economic link” between the two countries.

When it was completed in 1929, the Ambassador Bridge had the longest suspended central span in the world at 560 metres.

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