Share this Story : Windsor Star Copy Link Email X Reddit Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr

Baranyai: Windsor-Detroit Gordie Howe bridge much more than just bricks and mortar

Commerce leaders and various levels of government expressed confidence the bridge will open.

You can save this article by registering for free here. Or sign-in if you have an account.

Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.

Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account.

Get exclusive access to the Windsor Star ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on.

Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists.

Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists.

Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.

Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.

Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account.

Get exclusive access to the Windsor Star ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on.

Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists.

Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists.

Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.

Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.

Access articles from across Canada with one account.

Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.

Enjoy additional articles per month.

Get email updates from your favourite authors.

Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.

Access articles from across Canada with one account

Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments

Enjoy additional articles per month

Get email updates from your favourite authors

Sign In or Create an Account

Building bridges is as much a metaphor as a contribution to brick-and-mortar infrastructure.

So when U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to block the opening of the Gordie Howe International Bridge, demanding part ownership of the new corridor between Windsor and Detroit, the symbolism is hard to miss.

The latest extortion gambit came on a Monday evening (Feb. 16), as so many of his policy directions do, in a Truth Social tirade of grievances and misinformation. It was all more or less cleared up by TACO Tuesday, when Prime Minister Mark Carney called and educated the president about the project, for which Canada paid, with a plan to recoup our $6.4 billion investment through bridge tolls.

In a gesture of amity, Canada already shares ownership of the bridge with Michigan, even though the state’s planned financial contribution ultimately was hamstrung by lobbying from the billionaire family which owns and operates the Ambassador Bridge and doesn’t savour the competition.

Notwithstanding the opposition, commerce leaders and various levels of government expressed confidence the bridge will, indeed, open. Nobody seemed to get terribly worked up over Trump’s brinkmanship.

After a year of whiplash from overblown threats and walk-backs, Canadians have learned to keep their heads on straight and our gaze fixed firmly on the big picture. We even shrugged off, like so much covfefe, the president’s bizarre assertion that a trade deal with China will terminate all hockey in Canada and eliminate the Stanley Cup.

The Gordie Howe International Bridge is named for a Canadian hockey legend, Mr. Hockey himself, who played 25 years with the Detroit Red Wings and delivered four Stanley Cups in six years. Adding another layer of symbolism, the Hall-of-Famer was known for charging into the boards with his elbows up, presaging Canadian defiance in the face of U.S. tariff aggression and threats against our sovereignty.

The bridge is the largest infrastructure project on the Canada–U.S. border and the longest cable-stayed bridge in North America. The new trade corridor will save trucks an estimated 850,000 hours a year at Canada’s busiest border crossing. Construction is now in the testing phase, with a planned spring opening.

Baranyai: Make sure our tech isn't complicit in human rights abuses

Baranyai: Netflix hockey miniseries highjacks Humboldt tragedy for gain

Advertisement 1Story continues belowThis advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.document.addEventListener(`DOMContentLoaded`,function(){let template=document.getElementById(`oop-ad-template`);if(template&&!template.dataset.adInjected){let clone=template.content.cloneNode(!0);template.replaceWith(clone),template.parentElement&&(template.parentElement.dataset.adInjected=`true`)}});

While it’s a vital trade route, the bridge also supports the communities it connects. A full lane is dedicated to toll-free pedestrian and cycling crossings, promoting cross-border tourism and outdoor recreation.

A community benefits plan was a key component of the project: a framework for leveraging local development to advance positive economic, social or environmental outcomes for the community. Specifically, planners focused on Sandwich and Delray, the neighbourhoods closest to the project area.

The idea of community benefits is to work with developers to give back to the communities where they are building. It’s a collaborative process that involves extensive consultation. Plans for the bridge engaged thousands of residents on both sides of the border, Indigenous Peoples, business owners, and community and municipal leaders.

Windsor police search for auto thieves Local News

Windsor police search for auto thieves

'Explosive growth' — Population boom projected for Windsor-Essex over next 25 years Local News

'Explosive growth' — Population boom projected for Windsor-Essex over next 25 years

Advertisement 2Story continues belowThis advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.document.addEventListener(`DOMContentLoaded`,function(){let template=document.getElementById(`oop-ad-template`);if(template&&!template.dataset.adInjected){let clone=template.content.cloneNode(!0);template.replaceWith(clone),template.parentElement&&(template.parentElement.dataset.adInjected=`true`)}});

OPP charge four men with impaired driving in Essex County Local News

OPP charge four men with impaired driving in Essex County

Police arrest man following assault, collisions Local News

Police arrest man following assault, collisions

Bicyclist in critical condition after Tecumseh Road E. collision Local News

Bicyclist in critical condition after Tecumseh Road E. collision

Their input set priorities ranging from workforce development to building community connection; landscaping and esthetic considerations; and mitigating the downsides of construction and operations, such as noise and traffic.

Community benefits plans are increasingly popular, and workforce development is a very common focus. Agreements can secure commitments to local hiring, union jobs, and the creation of apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship opportunities to help people train for careers in the trades.

The plan also is funding initiatives such as a five-year business development program in west Windsor, supporting entrepreneurs and businesses to make the most of opportunities presented by increased cross-border traffic.

The economic and cultural ties between two longtime allies cannot be pulled apart so easily. We will keep building bridges.

Robin Baranyai’s columns are regularly featured in Postmedia News publications. She can be reached at write.robin@baranyai.ca.

Share this Story : Windsor Star Copy Link Email X Reddit Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr

Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion. Please keep comments relevant and respectful. Comments may take up to an hour to appear on the site. You will receive an email if there is a reply to your comment, an update to a thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information.

© Windsor Star