A Windsor political science professor says it would be difficult for U.S. President Donald Trump to block the opening of the Gordie Howe International Bridge — but not impossible.
Trump suggested in a social media post this week that he would not allow the new Windsor-Detroit crossing to open unless the United States is “fully compensated,” raising questions about whether he has the authority to do so.
The project, which began construction in 2018, has now reached a major milestone.
The Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority says major construction is complete, with testing and commissioning underway ahead of an expected opening sometime this year.
Canada is covering the full upfront cost of the project under a 2012 crossing agreement with the state of Michigan, with the expectation the investment will be recovered over time through toll revenue. Despite that financing structure, the bridge itself will be publicly owned by Canada and Michigan.
Jamey Essex, a political science professor at the University of Windsor, says the president’s comments have created uncertainty around a project that has been decades in the making.
“It seems to have come out of left field, and everyone’s scrambling to make sense of what exactly the president means by saying he’s not going to allow the bridge to open,” Essex said.
Essex says there is no obvious legal switch the president could flip to stop the opening outright.
“It would be difficult, but what he’s done in many cases is use emergency authority,” Essex explained. “I think that would probably be the way that he would do it here — declare some kind of emergency and not allow the border crossing to be open. He’s allowed to do that kind of thing.”
He notes such a move would likely be challenged by other levels of government and stakeholders tied to the project.
“I think it would be difficult in relation to local and other national figures not wanting that to happen and really questioning what’s the emergency that would allow you or prompt you to close this bridge that has been in the works for a long time and is almost done,” he said.
He added, “Other than that, there’s not much he could do on a sort of direct level, but that emergency authority that he can pull out of his pocket really gives him the ability to do quite extraordinary things sometimes.”
Essex says the comments may be part of a broader negotiating strategy in the Canada-U.S. relationship.
“I think it’s a long-running attempt to build leverage in an economic relationship with Canada that’s become much more tense, to find these pressure points for negotiations down the road,” he said.
He adds the political impact may be different in border states that rely heavily on cross-border trade.
“Politically, it doesn’t necessarily help Trump or his movement in places like Michigan, where people expect this bridge to open,” Essex said. “It’s a big part of the economic flow across the border that’s still very important.”
