The mayor of Windsor is one of many invited to the ribbon-cutting ceremony of the Gordie Howe International Bridge.
Drew Dilkens says he received his invitation on Tuesday, just one day after The Detroit News reported that the bridge would hold the ceremony on Friday at 1 p.m.
Around 500 invites have been sent out for the celebration between the U.S. and Canada.
The $6.4-billion international span is expected to open to traffic on Monday.
The future of the bridge between Windsor and Detroit was cast in doubt in February when U.S. President Donald Trump insisted that the United States be compensated before he would allow it to open.
Prime Minister Mark Carney has not stated whether Canada offered any concessions to get the bridge opened.
Dilkens says this is huge news for the region.
“It’s great for our economy, it’s great for the auto industry, it will be the bridge that is the most friction-free in terms of crossing at the border. But it’s also great for the community, and you think of the ability to ride your bike or walk across this bridge, it’s something we haven’t been able to do here for many, many decades. And I think people are really going to appreciate having this facility finally open, having watched it be built for the last eight years.”
He says Windsor has been waiting decades to see this bridge open.
“No matter where you go in the City of Windsor, you see the vista of the Gordie Howe Bridge somewhere. Many families have been part of the construction here. And so I think people are going to be really excited about this. It’s certainly a major project. It’s the type of project you see once in a lifetime if you’re lucky.”
He says despite the political climate, it was just a matter of time before the bridge actually opened.
“We both just want it to move forward in a sensible way to say we built this bridge together, Michigan hands, Ontario hands. We’ve worked in the spirit of collaboration over the period of 25 years. And you think of the presidents and the prime ministers and the governors and premiers and mayors that have been involved and the communities that supported them to get this project finished. I think we all just want to see it open and move on in terms of creating a great trading relationship between our two countries.”
Dilkens says like many Windsorites he’s not spending a lot of time in the U.S., but says he definitely wants to experience crossing the border.
The opening date for the bridge was previously delayed from fall 2025 to early 2026. Delays have not impacted the price tag, which remains at $6.4 billion.