Detroit's first new bridge to Canada in nearly a century gets its ribbon cutting on June 12

Detroit's new bridge to Canada is finally ready to open. The Gordie Howe International Bridge, the city's first new river crossing in nearly a century, is set for a ribbon cutting ceremony on Friday, June 12.

The bridge has been years in the making. Construction broke ground in Southwest Detroit in July 2018, and since then the cable-stayed span has transformed the waterfront skyline along the river. At roughly 1.5 miles long, it ranks as the longest cable-stayed bridge in North America and stands among the five longest on the continent.

What makes this opening different from anything Detroit has seen before is the path running alongside the road deck. For the first time, residents will be able to walk or bike into Canada across the Detroit River. The Ambassador Bridge, which has carried traffic between Detroit and Windsor since 1929, does not allow pedestrian or bicycle access. The Gordie Howe's multi-use path changes that. Separated from vehicle traffic by a barrier, it gives anyone a way to make the crossing. The path is free.

That's a meaningful shift for a city that has looked across the water at Windsor for generations without ever having a walkable connection. Walk to Canada. Ride a bike there. The possibility is straightforward in a way that hasn't been true here before.

The bridge connects Interstate 75 in Southwest Detroit to Highway 401 in Windsor, Ontario, with full port of entry and customs facilities on both ends. U.S. Customs and Border Protection said this week that officers are "ready to go" to process travelers and commercial traffic once the bridge opens.

For Southwest Detroit, the work has been close to home. The neighborhood hosts the U.S. port of entry, which required years of construction coordination with the community nearby. Noise walls were built along the project to reduce the impact on residents. As of Friday, that era ends.

The road deck carries six lanes of traffic. Toll rates are set below what the Ambassador Bridge charges for both passenger vehicles and commercial trucks, positioning the Gordie Howe as direct competition for the commercial traffic that moves through the Detroit-Windsor corridor, one of the busiest border trade routes in North America.

The bridge's central tower is designed to resemble a hockey stick at the moment of a slap shot. It is a structural tribute to Gordie Howe, the Detroit Red Wings Hall of Famer whose career defined hockey in this city across decades. The tribute is built into the bridge's form, not just its name.

The project cost nearly $5 billion and drew its construction workforce heavily from Detroit and Windsor labor unions. Eight years after it broke ground, Detroit has a second way to reach Canada.