After years of delays, political tension an billions of dollars in construction, the Gordie Howe International Bridge is finally steps from the finish line.
As it stands on Friday morning, the international crossing is set open to traffic on Monday, but U.S. officials still have not confirmed that will happen.
Canada is set to hold a ribbon cutting for the bridge on Friday morning, a major milestone for the project designed to transform trade between the U.S. and Windsor.
Related: Everything you need to know about crossing the Gordie Howe International Bridge
Truck drivers I spoke with overnight say they are desperately wanting this bridge to open because it will cut down on their drive time and the amount of time they have to be away from home. The bridge connects directly to I-75 in the United States and the 401 in Canada.
Canadian truck driver Hayder-Al Bagdadi said he loves being on the road, but he also hates being away from home, and he's ready for the bridge to open.
“I go to Toronto and I come back to Romulus, Michigan. I drop the cars, nine cars and I come back to Windsor," he said.
Another trucker, Samar Khangura, routinely transports auto parts from the Toronto area through Michigan on the way to his final destination in Laredo, Texas. He says he's ready for the bridge to open because it would significantly lower his drive time.
“We used to go from Sarnia from Blue Water Bridge," he said. “Sometime, it’s a big lineup. I didn’t remember the time. We have to wait for like 15 hours at Sarnia to cross the border.
There is still a lot of political back-and-forth over the bridge's opening. Canada withdrew from a planned joint ceremony with the U.S. after President Trump announced a 50% tariff on most Canadian goods. It's unclear if the U.S. will hold its own ceremony.
WXYZ has reached out to Pete Hoekstra, the U.S. Ambassador to Canada, for clarity. However, he said that "we have to wait for DC concurrence."
We also reached out to the White House, but they were tight-lipped, only saying in part, “Nothing will change the fact that President Trump renegotiated an incredible deal for America on the Gordie Howe Bridge...”
