Governor Gretchen Whitmer has issued a response following President Donald Trump’s comments threatening to prevent the opening of the nearly completed Gordie Howe International Bridge, which links Detroit with Canada.
The Gordie Howe International Bridge is jointly owned by Michigan and Canada, though Canada is covering almost the entire cost of construction. While an official opening date has not yet been announced, the bridge is expected to begin carrying traffic later this year. Construction on the project began in 2018.
On Monday, Trump posted on Truth Social criticizing Canada over what he described as unfair trade arrangements and warning that he could block the bridge’s opening until “the United States is fully compensated for everything we have given” Canada.
“We will start negotiations, IMMEDIATELY. With all that we have given them, we should own, perhaps, at least one half of this asset,” Trump said.
Under the agreement between Michigan and Canada, Canada is financing most of the bridge’s construction, which carries an estimated price tag of nearly $4.5 billion. Canada plans to recover those costs through toll revenue once the bridge becomes operational. The project is expected to play a significant role in Michigan’s economy.
Speaking after a bill signing in the Lansing area on Feb. 10, Whitmer addressed Trump’s Truth Social remarks, saying, “The Canadians have paid for the bridge.
Governor Gretchen Whitmer
The bridge was built with organized labor, union labor on both sides of the bridge, including Michiganders. It is a really important part of our economy, the largest crossing in North America. And so it is important that it continues to move forward and open up on time, and that’s my expectation.”
When asked whether she had spoken with any leaders about the situation, Whitmer responded, “I don’t want to put too much onto those conversations until I speak directly with the president. But we are having a lot of conversations at the staff level, at the administration level, and those will continue.
And, I know right now the Speaker of the House happens to be in Washington, D.C., and I think he’ll be raising this with the administration, too, as I would expect my predecessor to negotiate the deal and understands the importance of it to Michigan and is also a prominent Republican, hoping that we can bring some information to D.C. so that they understand why this has to continue to move forward.”
Once open, the Gordie Howe International Bridge will become the third border crossing between Detroit and Ontario, alongside the privately owned Ambassador Bridge and the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel.
The Windsor-Detroit corridor accounts for roughly 25% of all truck trade between Canada and the United States, facilitating the movement of tens of billions of dollars’ worth of goods each year.
