The Gordie Howe International Bridge connecting Detroit with Windsor, Ontario, will open on July 27 after the Canadian government agreed to share net toll profits with the United States, according to officials familiar with the matter. The deal ends a tense standoff between the two trading partners.
Canada's concession secures opening date
Under the agreement, Canada will share the equivalent of half of operating profits after operational expenses, directing the proceeds to a U.S.-run regional development fund, officials said on condition of anonymity. The underlying text of the original deal between Canada and the State of Michigan is not being changed, they added.
Canada paid for construction of the $6.4 billion bridge over the Detroit River after years of opposition from owners of the existing Ambassador Bridge, who recently made a major donation to a political group aligned with President Donald Trump. The Canadian-built bridge was initially set to open in June but was postponed after U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick intervened to renegotiate for a larger share of toll revenue.
Details of the profit-sharing arrangement
“The Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority will also work collaboratively with the government of the United States on toll-rate adjustments, seeking concurrence for certain non-market related toll changes,” Canada said in a news release without additional details. The release said the agreement includes a “15-year economic development fund tied to a portion of profits from bridge operations,” which the U.S. will control, according to an American official.
Under original terms, Canada was to collect tolls until construction costs were recouped, after which revenues would be split evenly between Michigan and Canada. That deal is not being amended, but Canada is striking a side-deal to reallocate some initial toll revenue, officials said. Michigan’s eventual share remains unaffected.
Trump and Whitmer react
Trump said the new agreement marked “a much better deal for America” in a post on Truth Social, adding that the bridge would open July 27. Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s office confirmed the deal. “The Gordie Howe International Bridge has always been a great deal for our state,” Whitmer said in a statement. “I’m proud to have fought for its opening and congratulate my partners who have worked on this issue alongside me for years.”
The U.S. must also approve toll changes greater than 10 percent, officials said. The agreement emerged after two weeks of intense talks. Mike Rogers, the Republican candidate for a U.S. Senate seat in Michigan, said in a social media post that he’d spoken with Lutnick and the bridge would open “soon.”
Broader trade context
Lutnick considers the bridge a separate matter from ongoing trade discussions. President Trump decided against renewing the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement on trade, preferring instead to trigger annual reviews of its terms.
