Opening of Gordie Howe Bridge delayed until 2026

By Louis Aguilar, MediaNews Group

After months of hypothesis, a Canadian official with the Gordie Howe Worldwide Bridge challenge confirmed Tuesday that building delays will delay the opening of the Detroit-Windsor hyperlink from this fall till subsequent yr.

Heather Grondin, chief relations officer of the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority, the Canadian company chargeable for the $5.7 billion challenge, confirmed that building delays and subsequent security testing will consequence within the new bridge opening at an unspecified date in “early” 2026.

“The challenge workforce is progressing properly towards completion of building this yr, with the Gordie Howe Worldwide Bridge opening as early as early 2026,” Grondin stated in an electronic mail to The Information on Tuesday. “The precise opening date will rely upon our ongoing high quality assessments, testing and commissioning. We should additionally permit our operations groups and border companies adequate time to be able to function this new and fashionable land border crossing between the US and Canada.”

The bridge spans the Detroit River and connects southwest Detroit to northwest Windsor, Ontario. At 50 meters above the Detroit River and 220 meters excessive, the Gordie Howe would be the largest Canadian and American land port alongside the border. Additionally it is one of many prime 10 longest bridges in North America. The authority estimates that about 6,000 folks will commute from Ontario to Detroit through the bridge each day

The span, funded by the Canadian federal authorities, will compete with the privately owned Ambassador Bridge, which offers direct entry to I-75 and Interstate 96 in Detroit within the U.S. and to Ontario Freeway 401 in Canada.

The challenge’s anticipated fall opening had been doubtful for months. In April, an evaluation by credit score company S&P World Rankings famous doable building delays on the U.S. customs port of entry, in addition to a number of connections to the bridge in southwest Detroit.

Initially printed: October 15, 2025 at 11:42 AM EDT