Gordie Howe Bridge pathway opening still uncertain
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
The Gordie Howe International Bridge. Photo: Courtesy of the Gordie Howe International Bridge project
With the lack of clarity around the Gordie Howe International Bridge's opening date, those eager to try out its landmark walking path will need to be patient.
The latest: The 1.5-mile walking and biking pathway is expected to open somewhere around a week after the bridge finally opens for vehicle traffic, according to Todd Scott, the executive director of the Detroit Greenways Coalition.
- The coalition secured pedestrian access to the bridge and has helped plan out the pathway's operations.
- The pathway's opening "will be finalized as we work towards an opening date," Tara Carson, a Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority spokesperson, told Axios in an email.
State of play: The path is expected to become a major eco-tourism draw, including for long-distance cyclists. For many locals, walking or biking the span is a bucket list item.
- It'll be toll-free, with one lane accommodating two-way traffic, per the Bridge's website.
- Official pathway rules are yet to be finalized and published, according to Scott.
Reality check: Metro Detroiters are far from the only ones waiting. The international trucking industry depends on the Detroit-Windsor border, and the Gordie Howe delay is costly.
- With current economic challenges, the logistical efficiencies that would come from the bridge's opening are crucial, per a Canadian Trucking Alliance statement.
- "The longer the [new bridge] remains unavailable, the longer businesses on both sides of the border must absorb unnecessary expenses associated with congestion, delays, and longer transit times."
Catch up quick: After President Trump threatened to block the bridge's opening in February, a ribbon cutting ceremony planned for earlier this month got nixed with little warning and the opening further delayed.
- The authority cited the U.S. and Canada's need to resolve "outstanding issues."
- Trump has said Michigan and the U.S. deserve a better deal, an opinion echoed by state House Speaker Matt Hall. Local Democrats have said it's well past time for Trump to get the bridge open.
- The $4.6 billion bridge is owned by Canada and Michigan, though Canada paid for it and expects to recoup the investment through tolls.