Windsor brewery jabs Gordie Howe Bridge delays with new beer

The opening of the Gordie Howe International Bridge has been delayed yet again. CTV Windsor’s Michelle Maluske has the latest.

Sandwich Brewing Company in Windsor, Ont., has a new beer for sale with a double meaning.

“We were expecting (the bridge) to open sooner,” owner Nicole Sekela told CTV News this week.

“When the beer was finished, we called it ‘Over It’ because we’re so over it and just waiting for the bridge to open.”

Sekela says the title does have a double meaning.

“We can’t wait to go over it (but) we’re kind of over it as far as the waiting for it to open.”

The Sandwich Town Business Improvement Association — which Sekela is part of — recently unveiled a new promotional campaign, geared to entice tourists to bike over the bridge from Detroit to enjoy all the eateries and bars within a short bike distance of the foot of the bridge.

“I think most people that we talked to on this side are so excited to ride their bikes over, they can’t wait!”

Windsor has been eagerly anticipating the opening of the bridge since at least 2024, when the bridge deck connected from both sides.

It was slated to open in fall 2025, and then it was early in 2026, and the most recent target was spring 2026, which ends at midnight on June 20.

Thursday, the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority announced a planned ribbon-cutting ceremony for Friday has been cancelled to give Canada and the U.S. “time to resolve any outstanding issues.”

Sources told CTV News the bridge would open to traffic on Monday, June 15; that turned out to be incorrect information.

Andary’s statement on Thursday gave no indication of when the bridge might open.

Sekela says they’ll be apprehensive about getting excited for another alleged opening ceremony.

“We just have this anticipation over and over again and you know what? It has to be open for us to believe it now, I think.”