Traffic Finally Flows Across Gordie Howe Bridge

A major new bridge linking Canada and the US at Detroit opened Monday to trucks, cars, and other vehicles, the climax of a yearslong project that lately had been snagged by international politics. Descendants of Gordie Howe, the hockey Hall of Famer whose name is on the bridge, were among the first to cross over the Detroit River, which separates the Motor City from Windsor, Ontario. "It just makes me think about all of the people who have worked on this bridge and all the people we've talked to today, just how happy everyone must be that this the bridge is come to fruition," Howe's grandson Gordie said, per the CBC. Democratic Sen. Gary Peters rode a motorcycle, while Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer drove a Ford Mustang across with the top down, the AP reports.

The six-lane span, which was built by Canada at a cost of $6.4 billion Canadian, now becomes a less expensive alternative to the privately owned Ambassador Bridge, which had a monopoly on big trucks carrying goods worth billions between the two countries, especially in service to the auto industry. Jim Pereira, who was hauling auto parts for Ontario-based Onfreight Logistics, was recognized as the first trucker to arrive in Detroit. He blasted his air horn and stepped down to take selfies with customs officers and exchange high-fives. Pereira, 58, said he anticipates faster travel times on both sides as trucks approach the wide bridge. "It's just a beautiful piece of architecture," he said.

Canada's minister of infrastructure noted that the bridge resembles the curve of a hockey stick blade. Steel cables, stretching from towers to the deck, look like giant music harps. Freddie Garrett, 81, said he regularly watched construction starting in 2018, "ever since they put the foundation in." So naturally he showed up at Delray Park in Detroit to see the first vehicles moving overhead. "It was amazing to see how they did it," Garrett said. "They put up one section at a time and then they met together in the middle. I'm sure it will be there longer than I'll be around."

• MLIVE describes the crossing experience here.