After literally decades of political battles during planning, and more than seven years of construction, the Gordie Howe Bridge project in Michigan is finally nearing completion. Major construction is complete, and testing and commissioning began in earnest in February. While an opening date is not yet set, it is anticipated to open to traffic very, very soon.
Then the Gordie Howe Bridge got a dose of presidential uncertainty on February 9th, as the project appears to have been caught up in souring US-Canada relations. President Trump took to Truth Social for a (very long) post announcing that he would not allow the bridge to open “until the United States is fully compensated for everything we have given [to Canada], and also, importantly, Canada treats the United States with the Fairness and Respect that we deserve.” The president also noted that he would start negotiations with Canada regarding his new opening terms “IMMEDIATELY” and noted that “…we should own, perhaps, at least one half of this asset.”
