Bridge Bummer: Gordie Howe Bridge Opening Has Been Delayed (Again)

If you were hoping to cruise across the brand-new Gordie Howe International Bridge before the end of this year, you might want to pump the brakes.

Because the long awaited Michigan-to-Canada connection just hit yet another delay.

After more than seven years of construction, the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority confirmed that the bridge’s opening has been pushed back from its planned opening later this fall, to sometime in early 2026.

Yeah… I know. What’s a few more months when we’ve already been waiting nearly a decade, right?

Officials say the latest setback comes down to final construction delays and, understandably, safety testing. They said that the exact opening date will depend on ongoing quality reviews, testing, and commissioning.

Which is good that they’re making sure everything’s good to go before we’re all driving between Detroit and Windsor and avoiding that slightly nerve wrecking underground tunnel option we currently have.

When it finally opens, the Gordie Howe Bridge will be a 1.6-mile-long, six-lane span connecting I-75 in Detroit to Highway 401 in Canada.

It’s expected to ease some of the traffic pressure off the Ambassador Bridge which could use a break after decades of being the only major link between the two cities. It will cost $4.28 billion, which is all being funded by Canadian taxpayers, who will eventually recoup the cost through bridge tolls.

Construction officially began in 2018 after years of back-and-forth discussion and planning. And while we’re so close you can almost see the finish line, it looks like the bridge’s grand opening party will have to wait just a little bit longer.