July 27, 2026, marked a defining moment for the Gordie Howe International Bridge as vehicles crossed the new international bridge for the first time.
Gordie Howe’s grandson, also named Gordie, and his wife, Margaret Howe, represented the Howe family to make the inaugural passenger crossing from Canada to the United States, while Onfreight Logistics, a Windsor-based Canadian transportation company, made the first commercial truck crossing. Over the remainder of the day, nearly 8,000 crossings were recorded.
The opening represented the culmination of nearly eight years of construction, over 25 years of planning and the contribution of thousands of people on both sides of the border. Since construction began in 2018, 15,800 individuals, including a strong unionized labour force, worked over 20.1 million hours to bring the Gordie Howe International Bridge to life.
The result – a new direct highway-to-highway connection between Ontario’s Highway 401 and Michigan’s Interstate-75 along one of North America’s busiest trade corridors. The crossing will support the movement of people and goods and strengthen the connection between communities in Canada and the United States for generations to come.
The celebration continued with another first for the bridge – the debut of its programmable aesthetic lights with the public art display called “Shimmer” created by renowned Canadian artist Douglas Coupland.
From the people who built it to those who made the first crossing, Opening Day celebrated an extraordinary achievement and the beginning of the Gordie Howe International Bridge’s next chapter – connecting people, communities and economies on both sides of the border.
We are all the Gordie Howe International Bridge.
