Shri Thanedar

DETROIT, MI - The Gordie Howe International Bridge was supposed to open years ago. Now, after a last-minute delay pushed back its debut indefinitely, members of Congress are demanding President Donald Trump’s administration allow the bridge to open.

U.S. Reps. Shri Thanedar, D-Detroit, Bennie G. Thompson, D-Miss., the ranking member of the House Homeland Security Committee, and Lou Correa, D-Calif., spoke along the Detroit River on Tuesday, July 7, calling for the immediate opening of the bridge. The lawmakers accused Trump of carelessly delaying a project they say is critical for Michiganders and the state’s economy.

“Shame on Donald Trump. Shame on anybody else who wants to deny the citizens of this area an opportunity to have a publicly owned bridge,” Thompson said.

The bridge was widely expected to open in mid-July after a delay of more than a year and a half. But at the last minute, the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority announced another postponement, saying Canada and the United States were “taking the necessary time to resolve any outstanding issues.”

Since then, officials have provided little information about an updated timeline for the bridge’s opening. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said the delay came at the request of the United States, according to CBC News, and that U.S. officials raised a series of technical issues Canada would work through with its American counterparts. The Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority did not respond to MLive’s request for an updated timeline Tuesday.

Thanedar called for the immediate opening of the bridge, saying further delay continues to hurt US and Canadian relations, commerce and tourism.

“Mr. Trump, open up the bridge because Michigan needs it,” Thanedar said.

In February, Trump threatened to block the opening of the bridge if Canada didn’t make concessions in trade negotiations. Recently, U.S. Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra publicly disputed the claim that Canada paid for the bridge, calling it a “big myth.”

On a July appearance on “The Food Professor” podcast, the former Michigan congressman said that while the Canadian government loaned the WDBA around $5 billion to cover construction costs, Canada is merely acting as the “bank” and is not the direct payer for the bridge.

“The expectation is that over the years, as the bridge generates revenue, the bridge will be paid back. So, the bridge will actually be paid for by the folks who are using the bridge. It will not be paid for by the Canadian government,” Hoekstra said.

Thanedar, Thompson and Correa pushed back on those claims Tuesday, saying Canada funded the entire bridge project. They said toll revenue will initially go toward repaying Canada’s investment, with revenue eventually being shared with Michigan once those costs are recovered.

“There is nothing for us to lose here. Starting the opening of the bridge can only generate revenue for the state of Michigan,” Thanedar said.

Thompson suggested Trump was keeping the bridge closed for personal benefits. Days after Trump’s initial threat to close the bridge, it was reported that the Moroun family – which owns the Ambassador Bridge, Detroit’s only bridge to Windsor - donated $1 million to a pro-Trump super PAC. And hours before Trump’s post about the bridge, his commerce secretary, Howard Lutnick, met with the Moroun family.

The Moroun family’s opposition to the Gordie Howe International Bridge is unsurprising, Thanedar said. He claimed the Ambassador Bridge has long operated as a monopoly and said opening a second bridge would increase competition and help lower transportation costs.

“Trump has a good habit of monetizing every opportunity for his family and his rich friends. So, if he looks at the bridge here, just see who is going to make money,” Thompson said.

Work on the bridge started in 2018 and has been oft- delayed. Officials initially said they expected traffic to begin using the bridge in late 2024 and then pushed the timeline to late 2025, before the recent postponement.

If the bridge does open, it will feature the longest main span of any cable-stayed bridge in North America and the tenth longest in the world.

Toll prices announced a few months ago set the standard flat rate for passenger vehicles at $5.75 USD or $8 CAD per crossing.

Commercial trucks, oversized vehicles and larger passenger vehicles will pay a standard per axle toll rate of $8.75 USD/$12 CAD.