Trump threatens to block opening of US-Canada bridge

2026-02-10 08:04:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

President Donald Trump has threatened to block the opening of a bridge connecting the US and Canada until Washington is "fully compensated for everything" it has given to its northern neighbor.

The Gordie Howe International Bridge, which connects the Canadian province of Ontario with the US state of Michigan, will not open until Ottawa "treats the United States with the fairness and respect we deserve," Trump wrote on social media.

According to the project's website, the bridge is being funded by the Canadian government but will be publicly owned by both Canada and Michigan. It's not clear how Trump could block its opening, but he said negotiations would begin immediately, without giving details. The bridge, which spans the Detroit River, is expected to open to traffic pending official testing and approvals in early 2026. Construction began in 2018, but the project has been a point of contention between the countries for more than a decade. It is estimated to have cost 6.4 billion Canadian dollars (3.4 billion pounds), according to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.

In a statement on his Truth Social platform, Trump said the U.S. should own “at least half of this asset.” He also suggested that Canada own both the Canadian and American sides of the bridge. The organization developing the bridge, the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority, is wholly owned by the Canadian government, according to the project’s website.

Trump wrote: "The Canadian government expects me, as President of the United States, to simply allow them to 'take advantage of America.' I will not allow this bridge to open until the United States is fully compensated for everything we have given them."

The Moroun family, the American owners of the neighboring Ambassador Bridge that also connects Detroit to Canada, called on Trump during his first term to halt construction of the new bridge, arguing that it infringed on their exclusive ability to collect taxes.

In response, Trump and then-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau issued a joint statement saying the bridge was a vital economic link between the countries.

On Monday, Trump pointed to the recent trade disputes between the two countries, saying that "The tariffs that Canada has been charging us on our dairy products have been unacceptable for many years."/CNA, translated by BBC