WINDSOR, Ontario (WXYZ) — The Gordie Howe International Bridge is now open, offering drivers and truckers a new way to cross between Detroit and Windsor — with a process designed to be smoother than what came before.
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Traveling southbound on I-75 through Detroit, drivers exit for the bridge and don't stop until they've crossed the Detroit River entirely. From there, it's a check with Canada Border Services Agency followed by a stop at the toll booth.
Among the first vehicles to cross opening day were tractor-trailers from the fleet of OnFreight Logistics, a shipping company with 200 employees and trucking operations on both sides of the border.
"We're excited at the opening and the opportunity that it's going to create for not only for Canada, but the US," OnFreight Logistics President Steven Ondejko said.
"We've got trucking operations on both sides, both in Canada and throughout the US as well," Fleet Manager Steven Ondejko Jr. said.
The company is a member of the Ontario Trucking Association and the Canadian Trucking Alliance. Stephen Laskowski serves as president and CEO of both organizations.
"36 US states rely on Canada as their largest trading partner, and that bridge over there, it's 10,000 trucks a day … It's going to allow that trade to be more efficient, more productive. And what does that mean? More jobs in the United States and more jobs in Canada, and nobody loses with that," Laskowski said.
Beyond its capacity, the bridge was also designed with aesthetics in mind. Architect Erik Behrens, who designed the Gordie Howe International Bridge, said the structure was built to be visually striking.
"We articulated, also, the deck edge to make it slender and elegant. So, it's almost gravity-defying when you look at the bridge from a distance," Behrens said.
The columns also carry a subtle tribute to the bridge's namesake. Look closely, and they're shaped like the tops of hockey sticks.
"Gordie Howe is obviously Mr. Hockey and hockey is your game in this region, so we wanted to express his slapshot, which is sort of his signature slapshot, and, you know, is the most feared on the ice, and when you look at the curvature of the tower legs, we actually worked quite hard on making that reflected," Behrens said.
The bridge is also set to light up at night with what Behrens described as elegant all-white lights capable of animated sequencing.
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