A $4.7 billion bridge linking Detroit with Windsor, Ontario — a project President Donald Trump had previously threatened to halt — is now scheduled to open July 27 after the United States and Canada reached an agreement over toll revenues, the Canadian government announced late Friday.
The Gordie Howe International Bridge had originally been expected to open in June.
Trump raised objections in February, pointing to financial concerns and warning he could block the crossing, which is named for the famed Detroit Red Wings hockey icon.
Canadian officials said the agreement with Washington includes “a series of cooperative measures” aimed at toll oversight and transparency, along with regional investments, including a 15-year economic development fund supported by a share of profits from bridge operations.
On Saturday, Trump said he had negotiated a “much better deal” for the United States, clearing the way for the bridge’s opening to move forward.
“The original deal made was unacceptable to me,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post. “The new deal is great, and fair.”
Michigan Republican U.S. Senate candidate Mike Rogers said earlier on WJR radio that Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick had informed him the administration had reached an agreement, expected to be announced in the coming days, that would allow the bridge to open shortly.
Rogers said the U.S. had shifted from receiving “no revenue” to securing a substantial share. “We’re going to get the bridge open and we’re going to get a much better deal,” he said.
A source confirmed a deal had been reached and that the US would get 50% of toll revenue and be able to veto any toll hike that is 10% more than the current tolls.
Lutnick struck a deal after talks in recent weeks with Dominic LeBlanc, Canada’s minister in charge of US trade, the source said.
The bridge has become an issue in Michigan’s US Senate race as Trump’s Republicans campaign to hold their majority in that branch of Congress.
A formal ribbon-cutting had been planned for mid-June.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said last month Canada agreed to delay the opening at the request of the Trump administration.
In February, Trump cited Canada’s refusal to stock some US alcoholic beverages on Canadian store shelves, Canada’s tariffs on dairy products and its trade talks with China as grounds for why he might not allow the bridge to open.
Matthew Moroun, owner of the rival Ambassador Bridge that connects Detroit and Windsor, in February met with Lutnick after weeks earlier donating $1 million to a Trump-aligned political action committee.
The Ambassador Bridge company, which did not respond to a request for comment, actively campaigned for years to block the new bridge.
Construction of the Gordie Howe bridge, which began in 2018, was financed by Canada because the US declined to pay for it.
The costs were to be covered by tolls over 30 years and it was not immediately clear how the split in revenue would affect the repayment schedule.
The new bridge will help ease truck traffic on the Ambassador Bridge into Detroit, the US-Canada border’s largest freight port, which handled $126 billion in trade carried by commercial trucks in 2023.
The bridge will cut 20 minutes off the crossing time, saving truckers $2.3 billion over 30 years, according to a University of Windsor study.
Trump has made a number of threats against Canada in his second term and sharply hiked tariffs on the US’ northern neighbor.
Last month, Trump said he might not renew a free trade deal with Mexico and Canada.
