Delay in opening Gordie Howe Bridge could cost $7 million weekly

A delay to the opening of the Gordie Howe International Bridge could cost upwards of $7 million per week.

That’s according to Michigan business consulting firm, Anderson Economic Group (AEG), who states that Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority stands to lose $5 million per week if the project is delayed, while the cost to taxpayers for related customs plazas would add up to $2 million to the losses.

This comes one week after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to block the opening of the bridge.

In 2012, the Canadian government agreed to fully pay for the construction of the bridge, and would be reimbursed by tolls collected in Detroit. The bridge is owned 50/50 by Michigan and Canada.

In its report, AEG said if the bridge is delayed, the burden will fall on Canadian lenders, businesses, and taxpayers.

AEG added that the costs associated with delays are only a fraction of the concern, as there would be impacts to the automotive industry, the dairy industry, tourism, and more on both sides of the border.

Patrick Anderson, principal and CEO of Anderson Economic Group, said when looking at the impact, the firm looked at the direct, unavoidable costs of building the bridge.

“Plus all of the enhancements, the roadway, the customs plaza, and then all the sudden just leaving it there for an indefinite amount of time. You have to pay electricity, you’ve got to pay for the lighting, you’ve got to pay for insurance, and these things need a lot of maintenance, so you’re going to have that, and then you have some staffing costs, you can’t lay everybody off.”

He said the interest on the borrowing to build the bridge would have a huge impact on taxpayers.

“And all that is based on a pledge of tolls, which is typically a very reliable way to pay back borrowing for infrastructure projects. But in order to have toll revenue, you’ve got to have people crossing the bridge and paying tolls, and so the potential for an indefinite delay in the bridge is not only one that would affect commerce and trade, but it would also affect the finances of the bridge.”

According to Anderson, a delay would impact a range of industries, such as auto, dairy, tourism, and more.

“If you just basically create the bottleneck or allow the bottleneck to continue, you’re putting an extra burden on every single one of those. And that’s real money to farmers, agricultural businesses, as well as the auto industry on both sides of the border, and tourism. So, it would have long-lasting effects if it was not to open.”

An official opening date for the bridge has yet to be announced and was previously delayed from fall 2025 to early 2026.

Toll prices have also yet to be announced.

Construction on the Gordie Howe Bridge began in 2018, with a cost of about $6.4-billion.

Statement from Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority

“While WDBA has seen reference to this report in media, WDBA was not part of the study and we’re unable to verify the methodology or the factors that contributed to its conclusions.”