Travellers eagerly awaiting the opening of the Gordie Howe International Bridge will have to wait a bit longer to use the border crossing.
Construction is now expected to wrap up this year, with an anticipated opening in early 2026, said Heather Grondin, chief relations officer for the Windsor Detroit Bridge Authority (WDBA), the Crown corporation overseeing the project.
The bridge, which will span roughly 2.5 kilometres across the Detroit River and connects the I-75 with Highway 401, was originally slated to open at the end of 2024, before being pushed back to fall 2025.
“As we’re moving out of September and into the fall, we’re really concentrating a lot of our efforts on one, completing construction, but two, really pushing forward on the testing and commissioning of the entire project,” Grondin said.
“As we’re working through that testing and commissioning, we’re realizing that we need to take the appropriate time to make sure we get that right. Taking that time is important for us as we really only have one chance to get things right before we open the bridge.”
Delays and questions around 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, stressing locals’ need for consistent communication.
Construction on the six-lane crossing first began in 2018, with the Canadian government footing the entirety of the bill for the project. The bridge was initially estimated to cost $5.7 billion, but last January it was reported the price tag had risen to $6.4 million.
Third crossing 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 nearly a century old, with the tunnel prohibiting transport trucks.
The new crossing is expected to include dynamic overhead signage to shift traffic on demand. The WDBA says the bridge will include increased inspection lanes, quicker truck processing, and transponder technology for tolling that can move 400 vehicles through each booth per hour.
In anticipation of the bridge opening, the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) told CBC last month that it had added an additional 250 officers to its staff, allocating new officer trainees towards the project. The agency also said the handover for the Canadian port of entries began earlier this year.
Last summer, the completion of the deck of the bridge was celebrated with dignitaries from both countries meeting in the middle.
Currently, Grondin says the WDBA is in the process of testing technology that will be used on the bridge, analyzing traffic connectivity at the Canadian Port of Entry, and the testing of the bridge’s fire suppression system. However, she says from a construction standpoint, the bridge is 98 per cent complete, with paving and additional landscaping taking place alongside the construction of five pedestrian bridges on the U.S. side of the crossing.
Grondin wasn’t able to provide a specific date for when the bridge is expected to open.
