More than 270,000 crossings happened at the Gordie Howe International Bridge in August, its first full month of operation.
Statistics Canada reported last week that the bridge, which connects Windsor and Detroit, was used for 134,900 Canadian-resident return trips from the U.S. by car, 56.7 per cent of which were same-day.
It was also used as a port of entry for 101,000 U.S. resident trips to Canada by car, 52.2 per cent of which were same-day. Meanwhile, 34,800 commercial transport trucks entered Canada through the bridge.
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During the same period, 348,000 Canadian and U.S. residents entered Canada by car at Windsor’s Ambassador Bridge and the Windsor-Detroit Tunnel, down 35.4 per cent from August 2025. Commercial transport truck entries at Windsor’s other ports increased by 0.4 per cent from the same period one year earlier to total 87,400.
The Gordie Howe bridge, intended to boost commercial and passenger traffic between Canada and the U.S. and ease gridlock for the other regional crossings, finally opened on July 27 after weeks of delays.
In its first five days, more than 41,000 people crossed into Canada using the bridge, Statistics Canada said.
The Canadian government paid the entirety of the bridge’s $6.4 billion construction cost under a revenue-sharing agreement with Michigan that would see Canada recoup its debt before splitting the tolls.
But protests from U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration led to a new agreement that will see Canada and the U.S. share those revenues for the first 15 years, which has drawn scrutiny and created confusion.
Both countries have sought to celebrate the bridge’s opening as a symbol of cross-border ties and co-operation despite the delays and ongoing trade tensions. Several political leaders, including Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, crossed the bridge on its opening day.
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