The Gordie Howe International Bridge (French: Pont International Gordie Howe), also called the Detroit River International Crossing and the New International Trade Crossing during its planning, is a cable-stayed bridge over the Detroit River. It will connect Detroit, Michigan, United States, to Windsor, Ontario, Canada, by linking Interstate 75 in Michigan to Highway 401 in Ontario (through the Rt. Hon. Herb Gray Parkway extension of Highway 401). The bridge will allow continuous traffic flow on a highway, unlike the nearby Ambassador Bridge, which connects to city streets on the Ontario side. The bridge is named after Canadian ice hockey player Gordie Howe, who played for the Detroit Red Wings for 25 years and passed away two years before construction began.

The project was first suggested in the early 2000s. It faced strong opposition from Manuel "Matty" Moroun, the owner of the Ambassador Bridge, who feared that a publicly owned bridge would reduce his business income. In 2012, a Canadian government-owned organization called the Windsor–Detroit Bridge Authority was created to manage the bridge’s construction and operation. Environmental approvals and other permits were granted in the United States and Canada in the early 2010s. Moroun filed lawsuits claiming the agreement to build the bridge was illegal and that the Ambassador Bridge had "exclusivity rights." These claims were rejected, along with efforts to stop the project from taking property for construction.

In July 2018, the "Bridging North America" consortium was chosen to design, build, operate, and maintain the bridge. Construction began that month. The $3.8 billion cost of the bridge will be covered by the Canadian government, using tolls collected from drivers. Canada and the state of Michigan will own the bridge equally. As of March 2026, major construction had been completed, and officials reported the bridge is in the "testing and commissioning" phase.

History

The passage across the Detroit River between the United States and Canada has been an important route for moving goods and people since the American Civil War. Ferries were used to transport items and travelers across the river. A railway tunnel (Michigan Central Railway Tunnel) opened in July 1910, a suspension bridge for road traffic (Ambassador Bridge) opened in November 1929, and a road tunnel (Detroit–Windsor Tunnel) opened in 1930.

The Ambassador Bridge is the busiest crossing on the Canada–United States border, with nearly 25% of U.S.–Canada truck crossings using the bridge. The crossings between Detroit and Windsor are important for the supply chains of the automotive industries in both countries. Trade between the two nations grew from US$32 billion in 1995 to US$51 billion in 2023. These crossings also help 5,000 Canadian workers who commute daily to Detroit for jobs.

The Ambassador Bridge has faced criticism for its exclusive control (large trucks cannot use the tunnel), private ownership by businessman Manuel Moroun, and poor maintenance. Both the bridge and the tunnel lack direct highway connections on the Canadian side, with city streets and traffic lights separating them from Ontario Highway 401.

In the early 2000s, a group of U.S. and Canadian government agencies began studying the need for a new bridge. The project was called the Detroit River International Crossing (DRIC) and the New International Trade Crossing. In 2004, the U.S. and Canadian governments announced plans to build a new border crossing between Detroit and Windsor. A committee was formed to manage the project, and an extension of Ontario Highway 401 to the new bridge was proposed. Construction on the highway extension began in 2011, with the Rt. Hon. Herb Gray Parkway opening in 2015.

Environmental approvals for the project were granted in both the United States and Canada in 2009. In 2009, the Ohio State Senate passed a non-binding resolution supporting the crossing, noting that Canada is Ohio’s largest foreign trade partner. In 2011, the Michigan Department of Transportation estimated the bridge would be completed by 2016 and generate $70.4 million in toll revenue during its first year.

In 2010, the Michigan Senate had not approved any laws allowing the bridge to be built. The Senate Majority Leader, Mike Bishop, said the Senate would wait until revenue forecasts were released. The Michigan House of Representatives had already passed the measure, but it was called "doomed" in the Senate.

In 2011, Michigan Governor Rick Snyder supported the new crossing in his State of the State address. His plan involved using Canadian funding to match U.S. federal money for the project. In August 2011, a Michigan senator said enabling legislation for the bridge would not pass at that time.

In October 2011, the Michigan Senate rejected a bill that would have allowed the state to accept $550 million from Canada to fund the bridge. A commentator noted that Canada had offered to pay for the bridge but faced challenges due to U.S. political issues.

In June 2012, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Michigan Governor Rick Snyder announced an agreement to move forward with the project. Canada would fund the bridge’s construction, land acquisition in Michigan, and the building of Interstate 75 on-ramps. Canada would repay its share using tolls collected on the Canadian side, and no tolls would be charged on the U.S. side. The agreement also included improvements for communities near the bridge. Canada and Michigan would own the bridge equally.

In April 2013, the Obama administration granted Michigan a permit to build the bridge. In May 2014, the U.S. Coast Guard issued the final federal permit. A Canadian government agency, the Windsor–Detroit Bridge Authority (WDBA), began coordinating the bridge’s construction in July 2014.

In May 2013, Canada allocated US$25 million to begin buying land on the Detroit side. In January 2015, Parsons Corporation was named the general engineering consultant for the bridge. In February 2015, Canada announced it would fund a customs plaza on the U.S. side of the bridge in Detroit’s Delray neighborhood. The plaza would cost around US$250 million and be paid for through tolls. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security would provide initial funding of US$150 million and ongoing support of US$50 million annually.

In May 2015, it was officially announced that the bridge would be named the Gordie Howe International Bridge after Canadian ice hockey player Gordie Howe, who played for the Detroit Red Wings for 25 years.

In July 2015, WDBA began selecting a group to design, build, and finance the bridge, as well as operate and maintain it for 30 years. The cost of the bridge increased by CA$3.5 billion due to the decline in the Canadian dollar’s value in 2015–2016. In January 2016, it was reported that costs could rise to CA$4.8 billion.

In July 2016, it was reported that many properties needed for the bridge were still owned by private landowners, including some owned by Manuel Moroun, the owner of the Ambassador Bridge. In July 2016, a former Ontario finance minister suggested Canada consider buying the Ambassador Bridge from Moroun.

In February 2017, U.S. President Donald Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau reaffirmed their support for the project’s completion. The project was listed as a priority infrastructure project by the Trump administration.

In June 2017, the City of Detroit sold 36 city-owned parcels of land, underground assets, and five miles of city-owned streets in the Delray neighborhood to support the project.

Design

The cable-stayed bridge was designed by Erik Behrens, the chief bridge architect at AECOM. Each of the two A-shaped bridge towers, which are 220 meters (722 feet) tall, was built on opposite sides of the Detroit River. The towers were designed to look like hockey sticks when used for a slapshot. The road deck is supported by 216 cable stays. The bridge has the longest main span of any cable-stayed bridge in North America, measuring 853 meters (2,800 feet), with a total length of 2.5 kilometers (1.6 miles). At its highest point, the bridge is 46 meters (151 feet) above the Detroit River. It includes six lanes for cars and a separate path for bicycles and pedestrians.

On the U.S. side, the port of entry covers 68 hectares (170 acres) and includes border inspection areas connected directly to Interstate 75 through dedicated highway ramps. On the Canadian side, the port of entry covers 53 hectares (130 acres) and includes border inspection areas, toll collection, and bridge maintenance facilities connected to Ontario Highway 401. The bicycle and walking path links to new and existing trails and bike lanes on both sides of the Detroit River.

Transport Canada hired engineering firms Morrison Hershfield, Davis Langdon, and Delcan to prepare cost estimates for land acquisition and utility relocation, as well as for design, construction, and operation and maintenance on the Canadian side of the bridge.

The project includes several public art pieces. During construction, artworks by local artists were placed on the forms used to build the bridge towers. On the Canadian tower, artists from Walpole Island First Nation and Caldwell First Nation created the artwork. On the American tower, artist Roberto Villalobos from Southwest Detroit created the artwork. After removal, the murals were donated to organizations and municipalities on both sides of the river.

On the outside of a maintenance building, Canadian artist Sara Graham designed a piece called On the Other Side of Tomorrow, featuring concrete patterns that represent natural and urban features. A 3-meter-high (9.8-foot) sculpture of tree bark, titled Aazhoge, by Anishinaabe artist Michael Belmore, honors First Nations and is visible as traffic enters and exits the Canadian port of entry.

Additional artworks are being created. Canadian artist Jordan Sook was chosen to design a piece that commemorates the Underground Railroad, selected from artists in the Black, African, and Caribbean diaspora. Canadian artist Douglas Coupland has been commissioned to provide lighting for the bridge.

Connections

In Canada, the bridge is now the western end of Ontario Highway 401. Before 2015, Highway 401 ended near Windsor at Highway 3 (Talbot Road). The bridge connects to an extension of Highway 401, called the Rt. Hon. Herb Gray Parkway, on its east side. The parkway is underground and has six lanes for traffic. It follows Highway 3 (Talbot Road and Huron Church Road) from a new interchange at the former end of Highway 401 to the E. C. Row Expressway, where it travels west for 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) alongside the expressway. From there, it turns northwest and follows a new route to the border. The parkway includes 300 acres (1.2 km²) of green space and over 20 kilometers (12 miles) of trails for recreation. Seven bridges and two tunnels separate the trails from the roads. Construction of the parkway started in 2011 and was completed in November 2015 at a cost of CA$1.4 billion.

Building the Rt. Hon. Herb Gray Parkway, which connects to the bridge on the Canadian side, was delayed because of concerns it might harm Ontario’s last known habitat for Butler’s garter snakes. During construction, biologists moved the snakes (including eastern fox snakes and more garter snakes than expected) to new homes. These homes were protected by a special fencing system above and below ground along parts of the E. C. Row Expressway.

In the United States, the route of Interstate 75 remains unchanged, unlike the Canadian side where the bridge is the new end of an extended Highway 401. However, a connecting road was built from the bridge to a special interchange with access ramps to both directions of Interstate 75. This interchange included rebuilding and widening 1.9 miles (3 km) of Interstate 75, improving local roads, and adding new pedestrian bridges. Noise walls were also built to reduce noise in the Southwest Detroit neighborhood.

In March 2017, WDBA announced that the design of the Gordie Howe International Bridge Project would include a dedicated path for pedestrians and cyclists. This path will be the first legal way for people to walk or bike across the Detroit River, connecting to local streets and trails on both sides. The bridge will be part of the Trans Canada Trail, linking trails on both sides of the river, including the Canadian Great Lakes Waterfront Trail, the American Iron Belle Trail, and the Great Lakes Way. Customs stations in both countries will be set up to process travelers walking or biking, keeping them separate from vehicle traffic. Crossing the bridge on foot or by bike will be free of tolls.

Community benefits

At the same time as building the bridge, $20 million was given to help communities in the United States and Canada. This money was used for projects that support local groups, improve parks and trails, and make streets better. Grants were also given for home improvements in Delray and for the Walpole Island First Nation.

Contractors were asked to hire people from Detroit and Windsor, as well as from the larger Metro Detroit and Essex County areas. They also worked to provide training programs and job opportunities for workers.

Opposition

The strongest opposition to the new bridge came from American billionaire Manuel "Matty" Moroun (1927–2020), who owned the nearby Ambassador Bridge. He filed lawsuits against the governments of Canada and Michigan to stop the bridge's construction. He also proposed building a second span of the Ambassador Bridge, which he would have owned. Some people believe Moroun opposed the project because he feared losing money from duty-free gasoline sales, which are not taxed at about 60 cents per gallon, even though the price for consumers is only slightly lower.

In early June 2011, the conservative group Americans for Prosperity posted fake eviction notices in Detroit's Delray district. These notices, labeled "Eviction Notice," claimed the Michigan Department of Transportation might take homes to build the new bridge. The group's leader said the notices aimed to encourage residents to contact lawmakers and oppose the project. Americans for Prosperity argued the bridge would waste taxpayer money if toll revenue did not cover the project's costs.

In July 2011, the Canadian Transit Company, which represented Moroun's ownership of the Ambassador Bridge in Canada, ran advertisements against the DRIC proposal. The ads called the project a "$2.2 billion road to nowhere." The phone number listed for the Canadian Transit Company directed to a number in Michigan. The company also held its 2011 annual meeting at the offices of the Detroit International Bridge Company. MPP Dwight Duncan said he was checking whether the ads broke Ontario's election laws, which prohibit public spending by foreign lobbyists.

In 2012, Moroun spent over $30 million promoting a proposed amendment to the Michigan Constitution. The amendment would have required voters in Detroit and Michigan to approve the bridge in elections. A story by Michigan Public, aired four days before the vote, noted the amendment's language seemed neutral but hid a political conflict. The amendment failed, with 60% of voters opposing it, allowing the project to continue.

In the 2010s, Moroun filed lawsuits claiming the 2013 bridge agreement was illegal and that his company had exclusive rights to connect Detroit to Windsor. In 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear Moroun's challenge about the bridge's location. In June 2016, the last of Moroun's lawsuits was dismissed, letting the project continue.

In 2018, the company aired television ads on Fox & Friends asking President Donald Trump to cancel the project. Instead, in December 2019, Trump signed a law allocating up to $15 million for customs and border protection at the bridge. In May 2018, the Michigan Court of Appeals ruled against Moroun's attempt to block property takeovers on the Michigan side of the river, allowing construction to begin. In June 2020, Moroun's efforts to stop the project were denied.

In July 2020, Matty Moroun died at age 93, with his family continuing to own the Ambassador Bridge. In 2022, the Detroit Free Press reported that Moroun's family planned to seek damages after properties were taken for the bridge's construction through eminent domain.

Naming

Snyder said he was not happy with naming the bridge the Detroit River International Crossing. He explained that "DRIC" was only the name of the group that supported the bridge, not the bridge itself. People also worried that "DRIC" was too similar to the name of another group, the Detroit International Bridge Company (DIBC), which had opposed the project. Later, the project was called the New International Trade Crossing (NITC). This name was supported by 139 groups and individuals. The U.S. State Department approved the project under the NITC name on April 12, 2013.

In late 2010, David Bradley, president of the Ontario Trucking Association, suggested naming the bridge after Gordie Howe, a Canadian ice hockey player who played most of his career with the Detroit Red Wings. Many Canadian politicians and Gordie Howe’s son, Marty, supported the idea. Marty believed the name would honor his father’s journey from Canada to Detroit, where he spent most of his career in the NHL.

On May 14, 2015, during an event with then-Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, the bridge was officially named the Gordie Howe International Bridge. Gordie Howe, who was 87 and in poor health, did not attend the ceremony. When asked by his son about the name, he said, "That sounds pretty good to me." Gordie Howe passed away on June 10, 2016, two years before construction began.