Gordie Howe International Bridge

Gordie Howe International Bridge
The bridge under construction in June 2025
Coordinates42°17′15″N 83°05′52″W / 42.28750°N 83.09778°W / 42.28750; -83.09778
Carries
CrossesDetroit River, Canada–United States border
LocaleDetroit, Michigan and Windsor, Ontario
Owner
Websitegordiehoweinternationalbridge.com
Characteristics
DesignCable-stayed bridge
Total length2.5 km (1.6 mi)
Width37.5 m (123 ft)
Height220 m (722 ft)
Longest span853 m (2,799 ft)
Piers in water0
Clearance below46 m (151 ft)
History
Construction startJune 2018
Construction costCA$6.4 billion (contract cost)
Statistics
TollCA$8 or US$5.75 for cars, CA$12 or US$8.75 per axle for trucks (expected)
Location
Interactive map of Gordie Howe International Bridge

The Gordie Howe International Bridge (French: Pont International Gordie Howe), known during development as the Detroit River International Crossing and the New International Trade Crossing, is a cable-stayed international bridge across the Detroit River under construction. The crossing will connect Detroit, Michigan, United States with Windsor, Ontario, Canada, by linking Interstate 75 in Michigan with Highway 401 in Ontario (through the Rt. Hon. Herb Gray Parkway extension of Highway 401). The bridge will provide uninterrupted freeway traffic flow, as opposed to the current configuration with the nearby Ambassador Bridge that connects to city streets on the Ontario side. The bridge is named after Canadian ice hockey player Gordie Howe, whose celebrated career included 25 years with the Detroit Red Wings, and who died two years before construction began.

First proposed in the early 2000s, the project was met with prominent opposition by Ambassador Bridge owner Manuel "Matty" Moroun, who believed competition from a publicly owned bridge would reduce his revenue. A Canadian federal Crown corporation, the Windsor–Detroit Bridge Authority, was established in 2012 to coordinate the bridge's construction and management. Environmental approvals and other permits were approved in the United States and Canada in the early 2010s. Lawsuits by Moroun alleged that the crossing agreement was illegal and the Ambassador Bridge had "exclusivity rights". These lawsuits were denied, along with various attempts to stop property expropriations, allowing the project to continue.

The "Bridging North America" consortium was selected in July 2018 to design, build, operate and maintain the bridge, and construction began that month. The CA$3.8 billion cost of construction will be funded by the Canadian federal government, paid for by bridge tolls. The bridge itself will be owned equally by Canada and the state of Michigan. As of March 2026, major construction of the bridge had been completed, with officials stating it is in the "testing and commissioning" stage.