The Gordie Howe International Bridge is set to open to public motorists at noon on Monday, July 27, giving drivers a new direct crossing over the Detroit River between the United States and Canada. The opening puts the bridge into public use for the first time on vehicles, while pedestrians and cyclists must wait until Aug. 5.
For readers asking what changes today, the answer is simple: motorists can now use the bridge’s highway-to-highway connections on both sides of the border. On the U.S. side, the route runs through a 1.8-mile interchange on Interstate 75 between Springwells Street and Clark Avenue in Detroit, with ramps leading straight to the new U.S. Port of Entry. On the Windsor, Ontario, side, access comes via Highway 401, the E.C. Row Expressway and Ojibway Parkway.
The bridge matters because it adds another international road crossing at a time when border traffic has to move cleanly and quickly. Tolls are collected only on the Canadian side at the Windsor port of entry, but they apply to travel in both directions. Drivers can pay with cash, credit or debit cards, or digital wallets such as Apple Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Pay. Cash is accepted only in attended lanes, and the lane setup is designed to separate passenger and commercial traffic while keeping queues down.
That system is also where the Breakaway program comes in. Members get up to 25% off standard tolls, free vehicle tags and automated RFID lane access, with tolls processed through prepaid accounts for individual commuters and businesses and postpaid accounts for large commercial fleets making over 1,000 trips monthly. Up to four vehicles can be tied to a passenger account. The missing piece is the base toll price itself, which is not listed in the opening details, so travelers know the discount but not yet the bill it trims.
Anyone entering Canada through the bridge needs proper ID, such as a passport, passport card, enhanced license or NEXUS card. Enhanced driver’s licenses are issued only by Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Vermont and Washington. The separate pedestrian and bicycle crossing is free, but it does not open today. That path is scheduled to start at 8 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 5, and visitors will reach it near Delray Park around Rademacher Street and West Jefferson Avenue in Detroit, where it connects directly to the Joe Louis Greenway and Iron Belle Trail.
There is no official large parking facility built specifically for the path, only garages and street parking within a reasonable distance. That leaves the bridge opening with a clear split: motorists can cross now, but the people on foot and on bikes must wait another nine days. For the first time, the new crossing is live; the rest of it is still on the clock.
