Traffic is set to begin crossing a new bridge over the Detroit River on Monday, creating an additional route for trade, workers and tourism between Canada and the United States.

The Gordie Howe International Bridge was officially marked with a ribbon-cutting ceremony in Windsor, Ontario, last week after years of construction and billions of dollars in investment. The project is expected to ease pressure on the Ambassador Bridge, which for almost a century has been the only route in the Detroit area for large commercial trucks travelling between the two countries.

The new six-lane bridge is expected to provide businesses with a faster and less expensive route for transporting goods. Detroit is the busiest US-Canada border crossing for truck traffic, according to the US Department of Transportation, making the new link important to the movement of goods between the two economies.

Canada sends more than 70 per cent of its exports to the United States, its largest trading partner.

The bridge is named after Gordie Howe, the Canadian hockey legend known as “Mr. Hockey”. Howe wore No. 9 while playing for the Detroit Red Wings on the opposite side of the Detroit River. He died in 2016.

The 1.5-mile, or 2.4-kilometre, bridge rises 151 feet, or 46 metres, above the river at its highest point. Pedestrians and cyclists with the required identification will be able to cross the bridge free of charge in the coming weeks.

Construction began in 2018 but was delayed by several challenges, including the global disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Canada financed the bridge at an estimated cost of $6.4 billion. Under a recent agreement, the Canadian government will share a portion of toll revenue with the US government for 15 years.

US and Michigan representatives were not invited to last week’s opening ceremony after President Donald Trump announced a 50 per cent tariff on Canadian goods entering the United States.

Trump praised the toll-sharing agreement in a social media post during the Ontario event, saying his administration had changed the terms of the deal.

Michigan is also expected to receive a share of the revenue, but only after Canada recovers the cost of building the bridge. That process could take decades.

The new crossing is expected to play a major role in one of North America’s busiest trade corridors, giving companies another route to move products between Canada and the United States while supporting cross-border economic activity.