CBP ‘ready to go’ on Gordie Howe International Bridge linking Windsor and Detroit

Michigan Senator Gary Peters asks Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Markwayne Mullin if U.S. Customs is ready at the Gordie Howe bridge.

American officials say the U.S. Customs and Border Protection is “ready to go” on the Gordie Howe International Bridge linking Windsor and Detroit.

The Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority (WDBA) continues to target a ‘spring 2026’ opening for the $6-billion project.

At a recent hearing, Michigan Senator Gary Peters asked Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Markwayne Mullin if U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) was ready to “facilitate trade and travel”.

The local project came up on Tuesday June 2, 2026, during a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing, specifically focused on the Presidents’ budget request for the Department of Homeland Security.

“Yes, we are,” Mullin said. “We have the personnel dedicated ready to move.”

Mullin said the contractor, Bridging North America, missed a deadline of May 1, 2026.

Mullin also said Canada and the U.S. still have negotiations to settle before the bridge can open.

“We’re as far as we can go without the final sign-off on the bridge and the agreement between the two countries,” he said.

CBP has previously declined to comment to requests from CTV Windsor about their staffing at the Gordie Howe International Bridge.

“We are prepared, we’re staffed, we’re ready to go,” Mullin said.

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‘Well towards a spring opening’

Meantime, just this week, the WDBA told CTV News they are still planning to open this spring, which ends in 17 days.

“The project team is progressing well towards a spring opening of the Gordie Howe International Bridge,” WDBA Director of Communications Tara Carson wrote in a statement on Monday.

“The exact opening date depends on the completion of the ongoing quality reviews and testing and commissioning activities.”

The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), meanwhile, has been operating on its side of the bridge since fall 2025.

“Border services officers who will be working at the Gordie Howe International Bridge port of entry have been working at other ports of entry across the Southern Ontario Region, performing the same frontline officer duties they will be fulfilling once the bridge opens,” a spokesperson wrote concluding they are prepared for the bridge to open.

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