Gordie Howe bridge to open to cars today after months of cross-border controversy

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Canada held a ceremony last week to help mark the opening of the bridge, but a joint celebration with the United States was cancelled over Washington’s recent threat of new tariffs on Canadian goods.

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American officials said the new levies are a response to provincial bans on U.S. alcohol, Canada’s supply-managed dairy system and quotas on American cars.

The bridge over the Detroit River, named for the Canadian hockey icon known to some as “Mr. Hockey,” is expected to serve as a critical route for trade, jobs and tourism between Canada and the U.S.

More than 70 per cent of Canada’s exports go to the U.S. For nearly a century, the privately-owned Ambassador Bridge has been the only route for large commercial trucks moving between the U.S. and Canada at Detroit.

Businesses say the new six-lane span will be faster and less expensive.

Construction on the bridge began in 2018 but took years, partly due to a global slowdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 27, 2026.

— With files from The Associated Press

The Canadian Press