By David Shepardson
WASHINGTON, June 11 (Reuters) – The U.S. and Canada have decided to delay the opening of a new $4.7 billion bridge connecting Detroit and Windsor, Ontario, that was set to open in the coming days after U.S. President Donald Trump earlier this year threatened to block the crossing.
A formal ribbon-cutting had been planned for Friday for the Gordie Howe International Bridge, according to invitations seen by Reuters.
“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.
Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens said on X on Thursday that while officials want to see the bridge open, “Canada need not fall on bent knee to make it happen.”
Pete Hoekstra, the U.S. ambassador to Canada, told The Detroit News that he and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick are leading discussions with Canada about opening the bridge. Lutnick’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said the new bridge will benefit Canadians, Americans, business, tourists and residents for decades.
“Everyone’s working hard to make sure the bridge is open as soon as possible. There’s no big drama. If it takes a little longer, it’ll take a little longer,” Carney said.
The White House has not commented.
Trump in February cited Canada’s refusal to stock some U.S. alcoholic beverages on Canadian store shelves, Canada’s tariffs on dairy products and its trade talks with China as grounds for why he might not allow the bridge to open.
Matthew Moroun, owner of the rival Ambassador Bridge that connects Detroit and Windsor, in February met with Lutnick and weeks earlier had donated $1 million to a Trump-aligned political action committee. House Democrats have suggested that Moroun used his influence to “jeopardize American commerce” to protect his company’s bottom line.
Construction of the bridge, which began in 2018, was financed by Canada because the U.S. refused to pay for it. The costs will be covered by 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 bridge will help ease truck traffic on the privately owned Ambassador Bridge into Detroit, the largest freight port on the U.S.-Canada border, which handled $126 billion of value traded by commercial trucks as of 2023.
It will cut 20 minutes off the crossing time, saving truckers $2.3 billion over 30 years, according to a University of Windsor study.
Trump has made a number of threats against Canada in his second term and drastically hiked tariffs on the U.S. northern neighbor. This week Trump said he might not renew a free trade deal with Mexico and Canada.
(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Mark Porter)
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