Sources: Gordie Howe ribbon-cutting may be delayed
The ribbon-cutting ceremony marking the completion of the new Gordie Howe International Bridge between Detroit and Windsor, Ontario, may not happen on Friday, June 12, after all.
A source who was invited to the event told the Free Press on Wednesday afternoon, June 10, it had been delayed, though it was unclear until when. Another source said that while they hadn't received definitive word it had been delayed, they believed it most likely would be.
In both cases, the sources − who spoke anonymously because they weren't authorized to speak publicly on the matter − characterized the potential delay as a hiccup, not a crisis of any kind in the bridge's imminent opening.
That tracked with public comments made Wednesday by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and reported by the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. (CBC), in which he said the bridge might not open by the end of the week as he had said earlier. But, he insisted, "there's no big drama."
The Gordie Howe Bridge photographed on Thursday, March 19, 2026.
"If it takes a little longer, it'll take a little longer. This will benefit Canadians, Americans, businesses, tourists and residents for decades and decades to come," Carney said.
In February of this year, President Donald Trump indicated he would not allow the bridge to open without trade concessions from Canada. But Trump has been quiet on the subject since and the Free Press and other media reported that the ribbon-cutting − and the opening of the bridge to traffic − was expected to happen this week and next after Gov. Gretchen Whitmer spoke to the White House.
The governor's office wasn't immediately able to comment on any reported delay and the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority, which has overseen construction, wasn't immediately able to provide any comment on the report either.
Contact Todd Spangler: [email protected]. Follow him on X @tsspangler.
