Gordie Howe’s family became the first people to cross the now-open bridge honouring Canadian NHL legend

On Monday, hockey icon Gordie Howe’s grandson drove the first car that crossed Gordie Howe International Bridge, marking its opening to the public.

After months of delays, the six-lane toll bridge connecting the city of Windsor in Ontario and the city of Detroit in Michigan officially opened on July 27 at 12 p.m.

Gordie Howe was a Canadian professional hockey player who spent 25 seasons with the Detroit Red Wings. In 2017, the National Hockey League named him one of the 100 Greatest Hockey Players of all time. Howe died in 2016 from stroke related complications.

A video posted to the Gordie Howe International Bridge’s official X account documented the first car to cross over to Detroit, which happened to be the late Gordie Howe’s grandson and his family. 

A little while later, at 12:50 p.m., the same X account posted a video showcasing the first long-haul truck to cross, an 18-wheeler from Onfreight, a logistics company based in Windsor just outside the Detroit-Windsor border.

Unlike the neighbouring privately owned Ambassador Bridge, which was responsible for much of the commercial traffic between the two cities, the Gordie Howe International Bridge is publicly owned by the Government of Canada and the State of Michigan.

The bridge has six lanes and measures 853 metres in length — the longest cable-stayed bridge in North America. 

Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer also went out for a ride on the new bridge, making the journey in a black convertible. 

“The Gordie Howe International Bridge opens today! This morning, I got behind the wheel of a Michigan-built Ford Mustang to mark the official opening, she said in a X post. 

“I fought to open this bridge to build the economy and connect Michiganders to opportunities on both sides of the Detroit River.”