What started as a joke has turned into an overnight campout at the foot of the Gordie Howe International Bridge for Justin Bellemore, who is waiting more than 24 hours in hopes of becoming the first person to cross its new multi-use path from Canada. Bellemore arrived at the Canadian entrance around 4 a.m. Tuesday, settling in for a 28-hour wait before the path opens at 8 a.m. Wednesday. “I kind of got myself in trouble,” he joked. “I would tell people, after all these years, once they announced there’d be a multi-use path, I’d be the first one here. So here we are — man of my word.” Bellemore said he began following the bridge’s development around 2022, repeatedly joking that he wanted to be the first person to use the pathway. “I was just joking around, like, ‘I want to be the first,’ but now I’m right here,” Bellemore said, speaking with CTV News around 5 p.m. Tuesday at the foot of the Canadian entrance gate. The Gordie Howe International Bridge opened to vehicle traffic on July 27. Bellemore’s goal is to become the first person to enter the multi-use path from the Canadian side and cross it into Detroit. When the gates open Wednesday morning, he plans to make the journey by bicycle before returning to Windsor. “I’ll go with my bike and try and be the first across to the Detroit side,” he said. Bellemore is more accustomed to running than cycling but said an injury has recently led him to spend more time on his bike. “Hopefully that comes in handy tomorrow,” he said. For the lengthy campout, Bellemore packed beef jerky, trail mix, granola bars, fruit snacks, and plenty to drink. He said bridge security personnel have not given him any trouble. One bridge employee even brought him cold water. Passing residents have also stopped to speak with him, helping the hours go by. “I met this nice couple from LaSalle who were just telling me about their life, telling me how they want to cross — just catching up with people. That’s pretty cool and makes it go by quick,” said Bellemore. Bellemore said part of his motivation came from knowing pedestrians were once able to cross the Ambassador Bridge. “I thought it’d be cool to do that on the new one,” he said. “Hopefully, a lot more people will be using it in the future.” The Gordie Howe bridge’s 2.5-kilometre multi-use path will allow pedestrians and cyclists to travel between Windsor and Detroit free of charge. Its Canadian entrance is located at 4389 Sandwich St., just south of the West Windsor Power facility. Anyone who enters the pathway will be required to undergo border processing, even if they turn around before reaching the opposite country.
