New US-Canada bridge opens as trade tensions test ties
Canadian-funded Gordie Howe Bridge to Detroit aims to ease trade bottlenecks as tariff row bites
A major new bridge linking Canada and the US at Detroit opened on Monday to trucks, cars and other vehicles, the climax of a years-long project that lately had been bruised a bit by international politics.
Descendants of Gordie Howe, the hockey legend whose name is on the bridge, were among the first to cross over the Detroit River, which separates the Motor City from Windsor, Ontario. US Senator Gary Peters rode a motorcycle, while Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer drove a Ford Mustang with the top down.
The six-lane span, which was built by Canada at a cost of C$6.4 billion (US$4.5 billion) now becomes a less-expensive alternative to the privately owned Ambassador Bridge, which had a monopoly on big trucks carrying goods worth billions between the two countries, especially in service to the auto industry.
“There are thousands of trucks that go over” daily, said Kevin Ketels, a business professor who teaches supply chain management at Wayne State University.
Jim Pereira, who was hauling auto parts for Ontario-based Onfreight Logistics, was recognised as the first trucker to arrive in Detroit. He blasted his air horn a few times and stepped down from the wheel to take selfies with customs officers and exchange high-fives.
Pereira, 58, said he anticipates faster travel times on both sides as trucks approach the wide bridge.
