Gov. Snyder and Canadian dignitaries are gathering in southwest Detroit for official groundbreaking on the new Gordie Howe International Bridge this morning.
Gov. Snyder has been instrumental in making the new bridge connecting Detroit and Windsor, Ontario a reality. He did an end-run around the state legislature and signed a deal with then-Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper in 2012.
Six years later, they’re finally breaking ground on the U.S. side of the Detroit River.
A groundbreaking is expected on the Canadian side this fall. That’s when the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority is expected to finalize a contract with Bridging North America, the group of private firms that will actually build and manage the bridge.
Canada has been the driving force behind the new international span, which it is paying for. It sees a new, publicly-owned border crossing as a key economic driver for the country -- even as President Trump launched NAFTA re-negotiations, and threatens to escalate a brewing trade war between the two countries.
