By Hugh Holland
The Ambassador Bridge from Windsor to Detroit carries an average of 8,000 commercial vehicles valued at $323 million per day. That’s 30% of US-Canada trade and is a critical part of the North American supply chain.
To lose that capacity would be a tragedy for both Canada and the USA. The Ambassador Bridge is 96 years old. The average lifespan of similar bridges is 80 to 100 years. The oldest major suspension bridge in America is 176 years old, but it carries a fraction of the traffic compared to the Windsor-Detroit bridge.
Construction on the new Gordie Howe International Bridge started in June 2018 and is scheduled for completion in 2026 at a cost of $6.4 billion Cdn. Construction was funded and managed by Canada, employing workers and materials from both sides of the border. The agreement calls for Canada to be reimbursed by bridge tolls over subsequent years.
The Gordie Howe Bridge is expected to save 850,000 hours per year ($450 million dollars per year or $4.5 billion OVER 10 years) by reducing traffic delays in both directions for commercial trucks for as long as both bridges are in operation.
When a multi-billion-dollar trade gateway — a gift from Canada to the North American supply chain that comes at no cost to the American taxpayer — is used as a political bargaining chip, it not only doesn’t make sense, it’s an insult to both countries.
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Hugh Holland is a retired engineering and manufacturing executive now living in Huntsville, Ontario.
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