Gordie Howe Bridge is ready. It has been under construction for eight years, funded entirely by Canada, and co-owned by Canada and Michigan. Patty Handysides says most people in Windsor believe what is holding up the opening has something to do with Donald Trump.

The Ambassador Bridge, built in the 1920s and privately owned by one American family, is the only international bridge in North America under private ownership. When the Gordie Howe Bridge announced its toll, the Ambassador Bridge immediately dropped its price from $13 each way to $5. The New York Times reported that the bridge’s owner had visited Washington and donated a million dollars around the same time Trump posted on Truth Social that he would block the opening unless Canada paid him back.

The Gordie Howe Bridge is six lanes to the Ambassador Bridge’s four, with an additional free lane for pedestrians and cyclists. Tolls flow entirely to Canada for roughly 35 years before splitting evenly with Michigan. About 6,000 Windsor residents cross daily to work in Metro Detroit, most of them nurses.

Topics: Gordie Howe Bridge, Ambassador Bridge Windsor, Windsor Detroit border, private international bridge, border crossing nurses

GUEST: Patty Handysides | http://am800cklw.com

Originally aired on2026-05-08