Former Windsor West MP Brian Masse is asking Transport Canada to open the Canadian side of the Gordie Howe International Bridge for public tours before the span fully opens.
In a letter to Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon this week, Masse said the bridge is a landmark binational project that has generated significant public interest.
He argues guided tours of the bridge and Canadian plaza would give residents, students, civic groups and media a chance to see the project up close while full public access remains under discussion.
Masse told AM800’s Mornings with Mike and Meg that public access should have been part of the plan from the beginning.
“I’m saying open up the bridge to tours and access so people can actually experience it before it gets used, and we have to create, I guess, special moments or days to close the traffic for it to be open,” he said.
“I don’t understand even how it was missed to begin with. It’s better than some ribbon cutting or whatever, but at the same time you can still use this opportunity to use it as a historic moment for Windsorites.”
He said residents deserve a chance to see the project they’ve funded.
“People have had all kinds of incredible ideas from like having a hockey game there, like road hockey or whatever. Without even getting into the details of more complexities related to it, you can simply just even open it up and have an open house and have it available for the public on different days,” Masse said.
“You are going to have public access anyways because we fought to get the pedestrian crosswalk and it’s going to be free. So these features already exist without any complications of funding.”
Masse said he believes the site is ready to accommodate visitors.
“We already have the customs officers trained and ready. I’ve talked to Mark Webber. He’s the customs immigration union officer for Canada. They used to have a detector dog, and they also have customs officers hired already,” he said.
“And the site will be closed probably for special events. Like we closed the bridge and tunnel for, say for example, the Free Press run. So these things are done anyways. This is, you know, basically a $6 billion white elephant sitting there.”
A ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Gordie Howe International Bridge was scheduled for June 12, but cancelled at the 11th hour.
The Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority said Canada and the United States had agreed to delay the opening of the bridge, taking the necessary time to resolve any outstanding issues.