By Kyle Kaminski
The Gordie Howe International Bridge connects Detroit to Windsor—one of the busiest trade crossings in North America. After eight years, construction wrapped up last month. A ribbon-cutting was scheduled, and the plan was to open it to traffic on June 15.
That never happened.
The day before the opening, it got canceled and pushed back indefinitely. Officials won’t say exactly why but they’ve been clear it’s not a construction problem. This is a political problem.
And here’s what should get your attention: Canada paid for this thing. Michigan taxpayers chipped in nothing, and we co-own it 50/50. So, it’s ours. And we still can’t use it.
So who benefits from a finished bridge going unused?
Follow the money and it leads to the Moroun family. They own the Ambassador Bridge, the only other crossing between Detroit and Windsor, and for decades, the only bridge in town.
Right now, a truck pays up to $20 per axle to cross the Ambassador. On the Gordie Howe? It’s set to cost less than half that. Officials say about 3 million trucks crossed the Ambassador last year. But once the new bridge opens, that could drop to 1.6 million.
For the Moroun family, that’s nearly half their toll traffic—gone.
So, here’s what happened:
Back in January, Matthew Moroun cut a $1 million check to a super PAC backing President Donald Trump. Weeks later, he had a private meeting with Trump’s commerce secretary. And hours after that meeting, Trump threatened to block the bridge.
Big check. Private meeting. Presidential threat. In that order.
And here’s the kicker: Rick Snyder—the Republican former governor who signed the deal to build this bridge—recently told the Detroit News the only folks that benefit from the bridge being closed are the Moroun family. Period.
Meanwhile the blame keeps shifting. Some Republicans say the US needs a “better deal” on tolls. But reporters are covering what’s really being worked out behind closed doors here. And every day that passes is another day the Moroun family doesn’t have to deal with competition.
So what? Well, Michigan has a new, $4.7 billion bridge that didn’t cost us a dime. It’s done. We own it. It means cheaper crossings, faster trade, and the end of one family’s monopoly.
And so far, it’s still sitting empty and unused—all because a billionaire wrote a check, got a meeting, and suddenly the most powerful people in the country decided the bridge could wait.
Check out the full story in this edition of so what? Michigan.
