After two decades of planning, the Gordie Howe International Bridge will finally connect Detroit and Windsor when it opens in early 2026. What makes this $4.4 billion crossing remarkable isn't just its graceful, curved design — it's what it lets you do on foot.
For the first time in years, pedestrians and cyclists will have a dedicated path across an international bridge between the US and Canada. The 6-lane bridge (3 in each direction) will handle the vehicle traffic that's chronically backed up at the existing Ambassador Bridge and Detroit-Windsor Tunnel, but it's also built for people who want to walk or bike between countries without a car.
"People didn't want us to lose a unique opportunity to design a new international crossing without considering the incorporation of a multiuse path for pedestrians and cyclists," said Heather Grondin, chief relations officer for the bridge project. It's a small detail that reshapes how border communities actually function.
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Start Your News DetoxThe bridge connects directly to Interstate 75 on the US side and Ontario's Highway 401 on the Canadian side, allowing through-traffic to flow without stopping at lights. Canada financed the project and will collect tolls and manage maintenance for the next 36 years. Overflow parking areas at both ports of entry should help absorb some of the congestion that's made this crossing a bottleneck for decades.
What's equally important: each side of the bridge links into wider trail systems along the Detroit River. Waterfront redevelopment has already created parks and green spaces on both shores, so the bridge becomes part of a larger network rather than just a functional crossing. You could theoretically walk from a Detroit riverfront park, across an international border, into a Windsor park — something that wasn't possible before.
The Gordie Howe International Bridge joins other pedestrian-friendly crossings like the Peace and Rainbow bridges at Niagara Falls and the Thousand Islands Bridge in New York. But this one is notable for being purpose-built as a multiuse crossing from the start, not retrofitted later. By 2026, it will be one of the few places in North America where crossing an international border on foot feels like a normal part of getting around.
