Trump administration blocks Gordie Howe bridge : NPR

A view of the Canadian side of the Detroit River and the Gordie Howe Bridge, as seen from the United States.

Henry Larson/NPR

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Henry Larson/NPR

Millions of trucks carrying billions of dollars worth of auto parts, machinery and a long list of other commodities pass through checkpoints along a small stretch of the U.S.-Canada border each year.

It is known as the busiest land crossing in North America and is located between Detroit and Windsor, Ontario.

NPR’s Don Gonyea recently visited this crossing to take a look at a new bridge that is completed and unopened.

Construction of the Gordie Howe International Bridge, named after the Canadian-born Hall of Fame hockey legend who played for the Detroit Red Wings, began in 2018. It was scheduled to open early this year. That was before President Trump intervened in a social media post.

Trump demanded that Canada share ownership with the United States before allowing the bridge to open. Months passed. In June, the bridge authority scheduled a grand opening. But at the last moment it was canceled.

Stephen Laskowski is president of the Canadian Trucking Alliance and director of the Ontario Trucking Association. He was about to head to the grand opening when he received the news.

“I was walking out. My wife said, ‘Your phone is ringing’…she was like, don’t bother going,” Laskowski told NPR.

The Canadian government and Michigan jointly own the bridge. Canada agreed to cover the cost of construction and split tolls with the state once the cost has been recovered.

But the president has said that is not enough. Sometimes canadian politics have suggested that the owners of a rival bridge linking Detroit and Windsor are responsible for Trump’s interest in delaying the opening. The Moroun family, which owns the Ambassador Bridge, has donated millions to Republicans in recent years, including a $1 million donation to a Trump-aligned super PAC.

Gonyea spoke with WDET reporter Alex McLenon, Canadian residents and others to understand how the bridge closure is spreading across the continent.