Trump objections delay opening of bridge between U.S. and Canada
"Canada and the United States have agreed to delay the opening of the bridge, taking the necessary time to resolve any outstanding issues," the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority said.
A long-awaited link between the US and Canada has hit an unexpected pause: the two countries have agreed to delay the opening of the new $4.7 billion bridge between Detroit and Windsor, Ontario, just days before it was due to welcome traffic, after US President Donald Trump earlier this year threatened to block the crossing.
Invitations reviewed by Reuters showed a formal ribbon-cutting for the Gordie Howe International Bridge had been scheduled for today.
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“Canada and the United States have agreed to delay the opening of the bridge, taking the necessary time to resolve any outstanding issues,” the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority said.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Canada accepted the delay at the request of the Trump administration.
Construction on the bridge began in 2018 and was financed by Canada after the US declined to cover the cost
“For a bridge that is going to be in place and serve Canadians, Americans, others for decades, the question of a few weeks is time well spent,” he added.
Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens said on social media that although officials want to see the bridge open, “Canada need not fall on bent knee to make it happen.”
Pete Hoekstra, the US ambassador to Canada, told The Detroit News that he and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick are leading talks with Canada over the bridge’s opening.
Mr Lutnick’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The White House has not commented.
In February, Mr Trump pointed to Canada’s decision not to stock some US alcoholic beverages on Canadian store shelves, Canada’s tariffs on dairy products and its trade talks with China as reasons he might not permit the bridge to open.
Matthew Moroun, owner of the rival Ambassador Bridge linking Detroit and Windsor, met with Mr Lutnick in February and had given $1 million weeks earlier to a Trump-aligned political action committee.
Mark Carney said Canada accepted the delay after a request from the Trump administration
House Democrats have suggested that Mr Moroun used his influence to “jeopardise American commerce” in order to shield his company’s bottom line.
The Detroit International Bridge Company, which operates the Ambassador Bridge, did not respond to an emailed request for comment.
The bridge project, launched in 2018, was paid for by Canada because the US refused to fund it. The expense is to be recouped through tolls over 30 years.
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said at a Senate hearing last week that the department was “good to go” to staff the Gordie Howe bridge.
The new span is expected to ease truck congestion on the Ambassador Bridge into Detroit, the busiest freight port on the US-Canada border, where commercial trucks moved trade worth $126 billion as of 2023.
According to a University of Windsor study, it will shave 20 minutes off the crossing time and save truckers $2.3 billion over 30 years.
Mr Trump has issued a series of threats toward Canada during his second term and sharply raised tariffs on the country.
This week, Mr Trump said he might not renew a free trade deal with Mexico and Canada.
