Seeing a highway sign that “all border crossings” were open as I drove toward downtown Detroit signaled that Monday, July 27 was a day of note.
Sometimes you get used to the status quo, and in metro Detroit, the status quo had been all border crossings not being open as we've waited for the newest connection with Canada to start operations.
But on Monday, I drove across the Gordie Howe International Bridge for the first time.
It was just before noon, which had been designated as the official opening time, but the approaches were already open.
All that new concrete and only a few cars at that early stage made for a surreal trip over the Detroit River. I could see downtown Detroit off to my left and a more industrial landscape to my right heading
downriver. The views of the Detroit skyline will be much easier to absorb when I finally get to walk and bike the path on the bridge that’s slated to open for that purpose on Aug. 5.
Driving across, I opened the sunroof (as I do any time I cross the Mackinac Bridge) so I could experience moving past the cables and huge towers above. My eyes also fixed for a moment on the curving outline of the main Renaissance Center tower.
And then I was across. The trip from Detroit into Canada took only a few minutes, and I kept it on the slow side so photographer Justin Wan could capture more of the scene.
The signage was clear enough and I rolled up to wait my turn to hand over my passport card.
Not all of the inspection lanes were open, but only a few cars waited in any of the lines. Trucks are directed to a separate group of lanes. I counted 24 lanes total between the two.
After a few brief questions from a pleasant Canada Border Services Agency official, I was handed a commemorative postcard for opening day with a picture of Mr. Hockey himself and the bridge that took his name.
Then I pulled to a second area of booths to pay the toll. It was $5.75 ($8 Canadian) each way over the bridge, cash or credit. I paid with a credit card going over and cash coming back to Michigan.
The signage was clear and welcoming coming into Canada. Returning to the United States a few hours later was not difficult, but the access to local roads on the U.S. side was less direct, presumably by design.
I’d asked if there was a duty-free shop when I’d crossed into Canada and was told that is yet to come.
A relatively short distance from the bridge, over some recently repaired and smooth local roads heading toward Windsor, I pulled into one of the area’s ubiquitous Tim Hortons, which has a fairly clear view of the new span.
The parking lot was full and there was a line for the drive-through. When I asked someone at the counter if it was busier than normal because of the bridge opening, she nodded her head yes.
Then I walked outside to speak to a few of the folks coming in and out.
Karrie Foesenek, 44, and her daughter, Kirra Drayton, 10, both of Windsor, were waiting in a grassy area next to the parking lot.
Foesenek said her husband has been saying he’d believe the bridge was open when he saw it, so she sent him a picture. The trucks crossing were a bit hard to see so he’d have to zoom in, she said, noting that she was a bit surprised spectators weren’t out with their lawn chairs.
The tensions that began with President Donald Trump’s tariffs and his talk of Canada becoming the 51st state along with recent wrangling over the bridge opening are clearly top of mind for many Canadians. There’s a frustration that’s hard to miss.
“It’s sad we can’t just be neighbors,” Foesenek said. “But neighbors always fight, right?”
But Foesenek said she's ready to try out the new bridge. She’ll need to get her passport first, though.
Gordon Wallace, 74, and his wife, Susan Wallace 75, of Windsor, said they’d watched on TV as the first truck crossed and were clearly excited that this day had arrived. They’ve observed this bridge rise bit by bit as it was built.
“It’s beautiful. We’re very happy with it. We’ve been waiting a long time for this,” said Susan Wallace.
Of course, they’ll try it out, and Gordon Wallace said he’s expecting to ride his bicycle over, too. They hope it will help draw more tourists, especially to the historic Sandwich Town area.
For Dave Sekerak, 80, of LaSalle, Ontario, the completed bridge means a new regular travel route. He travels twice a week to Troy to roller skate, and he’s pumped. In the past, he’d take the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel.
“I’ll do this. The price is lower. I’ll hook right into I-75,” he said.
And in case there's any question in your mind, the Ambassador Bridge does remain open. On Monday, a steady flow of trucks could be seen crossing that span, too.
Eric D. Lawrence is the senior car culture reporter at the Detroit Free Press, and he also writes about recreational vehicles, boats and bikes. Send your tips and suggestions to elawrence@freepress.com. Become a subscriber. Submit a letter to the editor at freep.com/letters.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Here's what it was like to drive across the Gordie Howe bridge
