The long-awaited international bridge connecting Detroit to Windsor, Ontario, Canada, could open soon after a U.S. Senate candidate revealed federal transportation officials reached a deal on vehicle traffic. The bridge has been a point of contention with delayed openings and President Donald Trump’s dissatisfaction with the revenue deal.
Mike Rogers, a Republican candidate for Michigan’s open U.S. Senate seat, told WJR Radio that the Gordie Howe International Bridge will “get opened” soon. He told a radio host that U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick allegedly struck a new funding deal for the bridge, which is controlled jointly by Michigan and the Canadian governments.
“The financial deal that they secured for us,” Rogers said, “We went from getting no revenue. I believe it’ll be as much as half the revenue, joint determination on what the tolls are.”
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Officials abruptly scrapped a planned June ribbon-cutting for the bridge without reason. Rogers didn’t state exactly when the structure will open, but The Associated Press spoke to two anonymous sources who said commercial traffic will start by Aug. 1.
Part of the deal, Rogers said, included a ban on Chinese vehicles entering the U.S. Canada has allowed a limited number of Chinese electric vehicles into the country and mandated that China invest and expand production. A bipartisan crop of U.S. lawmakers has introduced legislation over the years to keep China out of the U.S. automotive industry.
“That bridge is going to get opened,” Rogers said.
It’s not immediately clear what the rest of the deal entails or how it differs from the 100-year deal former Gov. Rick Snyder, a Republican, signed with the late Queen Elizabeth II on behalf of Canada in 2012. That agreement allowed Michigan and Canada to split the toll revenue once Canada is repaid $6.4 billion CAD ($4.6 billion USD) for construction.
Tolls are projected to take 36 years before Canada is fully repaid, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. The Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority, the international governing body for the Gordie Howe Bridge, has already set toll rates for the bridge and created discount programs for frequent travelers.
Rogers called the old agreement a “terrible deal” that prevented Michigan from seeing any revenue.
The bridge authority and Prime Minister Mark Carney didn’t immediately respond to Straight Arrow’s request for comment.
In a statement to Straight Arrow, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer didn’t address the reported new revenue deal on the bridge, but said the bridge has “always been a great deal for our state.”
“Thousands of Michigan workers built this critical bridge, which will speed up auto production, lower costs, ease traffic, strengthen agriculture, and give people on both sides of the border better-paying jobs and brighter futures,” she said. “I’m proud to have fought for its opening and congratulate my partners who have worked on this issue alongside me for years.“
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