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Or sign-in if you have an account.Traffic is shown on the Ambassador Bridge in Windsor on Monday, March 3, 2025. (WINDSOR STAR - DAN JANISSE) Canada USA border tariffs Windsor Front Line Photo by Dan Janisse /Windsor StarThe Canadian trucking industry is anticipating commercial traffic to shift to the Gordie Howe International Bridge when it opens to vehicles next week.Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.Exclusive articles from Barbara Shecter, Joe O'Connor, Gabriel Friedman, and others.Daily content from Financial Times, the world's leading global business publication.Unlimited online access to read articles from Financial Post, National Post and 15 news sites across Canada with one account.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword.Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.Exclusive articles from Barbara Shecter, Joe O'Connor, Gabriel Friedman and others.Daily content from Financial Times, the world's leading global business publication.Unlimited online access to read articles from Financial Post, National Post and 15 news sites across Canada with one account.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorThe opening of the long-delayed $6.4-billion crossing, following a ribbon-cutting ceremony reportedly scheduled for Friday, is expected to reshape freight movement through the Windsor-Detroit corridor where hundreds of millions of dollars in goods cross daily, making it the busiest commercial land border in North America.“You’re going to see some significant shifts in traffic towards the Gordie Howe bridge,” Stephen Laskowski, chief executive of the Canadian Trucking Alliance and the Ontario Trucking Association, said. “You’ve already seen within those bridges competition and the lowering of toll rates from the Ambassador Bridge, which is a good thing. Competition is a good thing.” The Gordie Howe International Bridge is shown from Windsor on Thursday, June 4, 2026. Photo by Dan Janisse /Windsor StarBreaking business news, incisive views, must-reads and market signals. Weekdays by 9 a.m.By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.The next issue of Posthaste will soon be in your inbox.We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try againLaskowski, who represents more than 5,500 carriers across the country, said his members have been eagerly waiting for the bridge to open so they can benefit from the highway-to-highway access and streamlined customer processing.“They’ve been anticipating this for some time and doing their logistics planning, etc., around the opening of the bridge,” he said. “It’s just more relief than anything that they can now implement some logistical plans into their operations that are going to introduce savings.”The effects will ripple across the continent, Laskowski said, because goods moving more efficiently through the Windsor-Detroit crossing benefits exporters in both Canada and the United States.“We’ve identified the various sectors from the Maritimes to Central Canada to Western Canada, moving exports to 36 states whose biggest export market is Canada, and a number of which use the Detroit, Michigan, throughway as their entry point,” he said. “The reason the Canadian Trucking Alliance continues to say that this is a huge moment for the North American supply chain is because it is. It’s touching customers across Canada and the United States.” Trucks head to the Ambassador Bridge from Windsor on Wednesday, June 10, 2026. Photo by Dan JanisseThe Gordie Howe bridge was originally scheduled to open last month, but Canada and the U.S. postponed the launch to work through outstanding issues. Earlier this month, the two countries announced the bridge would open to traffic on July 27 after reaching a new revenue-sharing agreement, under which net revenues, after operational costs, will be shared with Michigan.The original agreement signed in 2012 agreed to split toll revenues after Canada paid off its debt, which remains in place. Canada fronted the entire cost of the bridge.Lawkowski said more competition between border crossings should help keep tolls affordable for trucking companies. Earlier this year, the Blue Water Bridge that connects Sarnia, Ont., with Port Huron, Mich., overtook the Ambassador Bridge as the busiest Canada-U.S. commercial crossing. He expects some traffic to migrate back to the Windsor-Detroit corridor once the Gordie Howe Bridge opens.Tolls at the new crossing are $12 per axle or $9.60 for carriers enrolled in its Breakaway electronic toll program.“You do expect a traffic shift to go with the more efficient highway-to-highway connection,” Ryan Donally, chief executive of the Windsor Essex Chamber of Commerce, said. “I do expect that we’ll start to see a gradual shift of behaviour, probably a little bit more away from Sarnia and more back down into the Windsor-Detroit corridor.”The new bridge also adds more economic security for the highly integrated automotive supply chain that hinges on auto parts being able to cross the border, often several times, before they become part of a finished vehicle.Donally pointed to the weeklong Ambassador Bridge blockade in February 2022, when hundreds of demonstrators protesting COVID-19 pandemic restrictions and vaccine mandates blocked traffic to the bridge. The blockade halted billions of dollars in cross-border trade and forced major auto-manufacturing shutdowns.“It comes down to economic safety, but also national security,” he said. “If you think back a handful of years ago, there was the bridge blockade, which obviously created massive economic disruption. But if I recall, the original discussion that we needed another border crossing is because of 9/11 and recognizing that having redundancy is having safety.” Join the Conversation This website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. Read more about cookies here. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.