After months of uncertainty that turned a half-built river crossing into a flashpoint between Ottawa and Washington, Prime Minister Mark Carney told reporters Tuesday that the Gordie Howe International Bridge is finally set to open before the week is out.
Despite the comments, it is unclear when the first vehicles will actually cross. The span ties Highway 401 in Canada directly to Interstate 75 on the U.S. side, creating a continuous corridor that sidesteps the slower, busier crossings now carrying much of the traffic between the two countries.
Carney called the timing positive and reached for something larger than logistics, describing the bridge as “a symbol, but also a fact of cooperation between our countries.”
Not everyone was ready to celebrate. A White House official told CBC News later in the day that the president’s position on the bridge “has not changed,” with the administration still angling for what it called the best possible deal for the American people.
The friction goes back to February, when U.S. President Donald Trump publicly threatened to halt the opening. He has pressed for an immediate share of the toll revenue from a project Washington put no money into.
Canada covered the cost of the bridge, which has been under construction since 2018. The current terms split ownership evenly between Canada and the state of Michigan, with Canada to be paid back, with interest, out of the tolls before Michigan begins to see any revenue.
Whether anything was traded to get to this point is unclear; Carney would not say Tuesday whether Canada made any concessions. The distance between his timeline and the White House’s tone leaves the outcome unsettled.
A ribbon-cutting is scheduled for Friday, with traffic expected to start flowing later this month. Once open, the crossing becomes a second major artery over the river, taking some load off the aging links that handle most of the daily commerce between the two economies.
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