Ontario's new record-breaking $6.4B border bridge now in jeopardy

The record-breaking Gordie Howe International Bridge was due to open this year after eight years of construction, but the future of the massive crossing is now in jeopardy after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to block its opening — just the latest salvo in a year-long trade war between Canada and the United States.

Trump took to his social media platform, Truth Social, on Monday, proclaiming that he would "not allow" the $6.4 billion border bridge between Detroit and Windsor to open until the U.S. is "fully compensated for everything we have given [Canada]."

The post comes as a blow to those who were expecting the bridge's long-awaited debut on a yet-to-be-announced date that was widely anticipated for the coming months.

"I will not allow this bridge to open until the United States is fully compensated for everything we have given them, and also, importantly, Canada treats the United States with the Fairness and Respect that we deserve," said Trump, adding, "We will start negotiations, IMMEDIATELY."

It seems the U.S. president has a tenuous grasp on the arrangement behind the bridge's construction, which led to some demonstrably false claims about the crossing's planning and ownership.

The U.S. president falsely claimed that Canada owns both sides of the bridge and "built it with virtually no U.S. consent," despite extensive U.S. involvement in planning, and the bridge's joint ownership by the Canadian federal government and Michigan state government.

The Gordie Howe International Bridge began construction back in July 2018 and is now complete and awaiting opening after a turbulent journey to the finish line. Initially expected to wrap up construction in 2024, the timeline was later pushed to 2025, and as of Feb. 2026, the bridge was essentially ready for motorists until this latest hiccup.

Current threats are just the latest roadblocks in a saga fraught with delays and setbacks.

Trump's comments follow earlier challenges, including a damning report casting doubt on the opening timeline, and even more doubts about the crossing's long-term viability since the start of the U.S.-Canada trade war and a drastic drop in cross-border travel.

Should the U.S. president actually allow the continent's longest cable-stayed bridge span to open, it will include the new largest border crossing between the two countries.