Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said the Gordie Howe International Bridge linking Detroit and Windsor will open as planned later this year, despite President Donald Trump’s earlier threat to block the project to pressure Canada in trade talks.
Speaking during Michigan’s State of the State address, Whitmer said the bridge will proceed, marking the first new U.S.–Canada crossing in more than a century.
The project, which began construction in 2018, is designed to ease congestion and strengthen cross-border trade between Michigan and Ontario.
Trump had said he would not allow the bridge to open until the United States was “fully compensated” and until Canada treated the U.S. with what he called fairness and respect, tying the issue to broader trade disputes.
His comments added strain to already tense relations shaped by tariff disputes and previous remarks about Canada’s ties to the United States.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said he later held a positive conversation with Trump, noting that Canada financed the project and that ownership is shared between the Michigan and Canadian governments.
He said the bridge reflects cooperation, with both Canadian and U.S. steel and workers involved in construction, underscoring the project’s cross-border economic role.
