Travelers eagerly awaiting the opening of the Gordie Howe International Bridge will have to wait a little longer to use the border crossing.
Construction is now expected to wrap up this year, with a planned opening in early 2026, said Heather Grondin, director of relations for the Windsor Detroit Bridge Authority (WDBA), the Crown corporation overseeing the project.
The bridge, which will span approximately 2.5 kilometers across the Detroit River and connects I-75 to Highway 401, was originally scheduled to open in late 2024 before being delayed until fall 2025.
“As we move from September into the fall, we’re really focusing a lot of our efforts on one, completing construction, but two, really moving forward with the testing and commissioning of the entire project,” Grondin said.
“As we work through testing and commissioning, we realize that we need to take the appropriate time to make sure we get it right. Taking that time is important to us as we really only have one chance to get it right before we open the bridge.”
Delays and questions over the opening date of the international crossing have drawn the ire of politicians in the Windsor area. In August, Windsor West Conservative MP Harb Gill called the bridge a “vital economic lifeline for Windsor and Canada” in a statement to the CBC, emphasizing locals’ need for constant communication.
Construction of the six-lane interchange began in 2018, with the Canadian government picking up the entire bill for the project. The bridge was initially estimated to cost $5.7 billion, but last January it was reported that the price had risen to $6.4 million.
The third crossing is expected to help
Once completed, the bridge will add a third border crossing between Detroit and Windsor, alongside the Ambassador Bridge and the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel. Both crossings are almost a century old and the tunnel prohibits truck transportation.
The new crossing is expected to include dynamic overhead signage to shift traffic as needed. The WDBA says the bridge will include more inspection lanes, faster truck processing and toll transponder technology that can move 400 vehicles per cabin per hour.
In anticipation of the bridge opening, the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) told CBC last month it had added 250 additional officers to its staff, assigning new officers in training to the project. The agency also said the Canadian port of entry handover began earlier this year.
Last summer the completion of the bridge deck was celebrated with a meeting of dignitaries from both countries in the middle.
Currently, Grondin says the WDBA is in the process of testing the technology that will be used on the bridge, analyzing traffic connectivity at the Canadian port of entry and testing the bridge’s fire suppression system. However, he says that from a construction standpoint, the bridge is 98 percent complete, with additional paving and landscaping along with the construction of five pedestrian bridges on the U.S. side of the crossing.
Grondin could not provide a specific date for when the bridge is expected to open.
