Gordie Howe International Bridge Opens with 853-Meter Main Span, Linking Michigan and Ontario

After nearly eight years of construction, the Gordie Howe International Bridge officially opened in 2026, becoming a new cross-border route between the United States and Canada. With a main span of 853 meters, it is the longest cable-stayed bridge in North America and ranks around tenth globally by cable-stayed span length. The bridge deck sits about 42 meters above the surface of the Detroit River. The structure is 37 meters wide and carries six lanes, along with 16 toll lanes and 60 inspection lanes for entry checks on both the US and Canadian sides. Construction began in October 2018 and totaled 20.1 million work hours, with 15,843 workers involved. The bridge is supported by 216 stay cables, each made up of between 38 and 122 steel strands. Each of the two main towers consumed 4,500 metric tons of rebar and 10,000 cubic meters of concrete, reaching a height of 220 meters, making them among the tallest structures in the local area. The tower foundations are anchored by piles driven 36 meters into bedrock and grouted with concrete. At night, more than 6,000 programmable white LED lights illuminate the bridge. The crossing is named after Canadian hockey player Gordie Howe and was designed by Eric Behrens of AECOM, with construction participants including the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority, Bridging North America, Dragados, Fluor, and Aecon. At the bridge's opening, no US officials attended the ceremony, as the two countries faced escalated trade friction and disagreements over the timing of toll revenue sharing.