The brand-new international span has worked wonders for cross-border relations
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Despite U.S. President Donald Trump’s lack of enthusiasm for the Canadian-made Gordie Howe International Bridge, and his temporary threat to block it from opening, the gorgeous new span has worked wonders for cross-border relations.
I walked the $6.4-billion beauty with my wife and another couple on the first Saturday after it opened to pedestrians and cyclists, and a couple of things struck me: the towering height overhead, and the great mood on the path.
Strolling roughly 2.5 kilometres (1.5 miles) across the busy bridge was an exercise in community-building.
The two-way multi-use path marked the first time people could cross over the Detroit River on foot or bike in decades. Also, the toll-free route connects local networks like the Trans Canada Trail in Windsor and the Iron Belle Trail in Detroit.
More importantly, most transborder adventurers seemed in such great spirits. Canadians and Americans alike said hi and commented on the sleek look of the structure, the weather, the view, or whatever. We had a few Americans even express appreciation for Canadians, perhaps in reaction to the Whitehouse recently calling us “nasty.”
The last couple of years with the trade war and calls to make us the 51st state, it seemed like Can-Am relations hit rock bottom. Could our longtime friendship even survive?
Well, if the recent experience crossing the bridge indicates anything, the Canadian-American friendship stands strong, never mind the politics. The midway boundary plaque, sort of like the Mona Lisa, drew crowds of selfie-takers.
Named after the Detroit Red Wings legend, the six-lane Gordie Howe felt like more than a bridge. It felt like a bridge-builder. It’s a Canadian initiative, with towers that reflect the curve of hockey sticks, but it’s American, too.
More than a quarter century in the making from concept to completion, the bridge leaves funky Sandwich and lands in Delray, an industrial neighbourhood in Detroit. Our group strolled to a small place in Delray for a drink. Mid-afternoon on a Saturday, the clientele at this modest neighbourhood establishment hailed mostly from Canada. A staff member said the place ran out of food due to all the Canadians.
When we returned and stopped for a bite in Sandwich, our server told us the place had bustled all day – mostly with Americans.
Nice to know we still both like spending time with our next-door neighbours.
Fact is, Windsor and Detroit have long been friends. We survived the War of 1812 and other skirmishes, crossing by canoe before the two municipalities even officially incorporated. We continued going back and forth as we grew – by boat, various ferries, the Michigan Central Railway Tunnel (opened in 1910), the Ambassador Bridge (1929), and the Windsor-Detroit Tunnel (1930).
