(The Center Square) – Michigan and Canada have reached an agreement to open the Gordie Howe International Bridge, connecting Detroit and Windsor, later this month.
The July 27 opening has been long anticipated.
“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,” said Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. “I’m proud to have fought for its opening and congratulate my partners who have worked on this issue alongside me for years.”
The nearby Ambassador Bridge border crossing between Detroit and Windsor is already the busiest international land border crossing in North America, with hundreds of millions of dollars in trade passing through each day.
Officials say the Gordie Howe International Bridge is expected to ease congestion and be a major economic driver for the whole region.
“The Gordie Howe International Bridge will create new opportunities, strengthen our economy, and bring economic benefits on both sides of [the] border for generations to come,” said Gregor Robertson, Canada’s minister of housing and infrastructure.
Whitmer hailed the project as a major milestone in the ongoing partnership between Michigan and Canada.
“This bridge is a testament to the enduring partnership between Michigan and Canada and what we can get done when we think big and bet on our shared future together,” she said. “Thank you to our allies in Canada and to the Michiganders who advocated for years to get this done. Let’s keep working together to build a bright future for Michigan and Canada.”
The bridge’s opening has not been without controversy, as Canada and the United States negotiate over how toll profits might be split.
Under the current negotiated agreement, Canada and the U.S. have agreed to “a series of cooperative measures focused on toll governance and transparency, 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.”
This is according to the Canadian government.
Under the agreement first signed by the two countries in 2012, Canada agreed to front the full cost of building the bridge in exchange for collecting 100% of the toll revenue until it recouped its investment.
Those costs eventually rose to about $4.5 billion.
While some media reports have alleged a 50% toll-sharing agreement between the U.S. and Canada, Canadian Member of Parliament Ryan Turnbull said in a statement on Monday that this is not true.
“Canada is not sharing toll revenue with the United States. Canada will continue to collect 100% of the bridge’s toll revenue, just as originally agreed,” Turnbull said. “The new agreement establishes a 15-year economic development fund tied to 50% of future net profits, not revenues. Those profits will only exist after operating costs are covered and will depend on the bridge’s success.”
While the exact terms of the agreement are still unknown, President Donald Trump has applauded it.
“I was able to cut a MUCH BETTER DEAL for America,” Trump posted to social media on Saturday. “The original deal made was unacceptable to me! The new deal is great, and fair.”
The six-lane cable-stayed bridge spans abput 1.5 miles across the Detroit River and is the longest of its kind in North America.
