Pedestrians and cyclists will be able to cross the Gordie Howe International Bridge between Detroit and Windsor at no cost, according to the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority. The announcement adds a significant detail to what is shaping up to be one of the most consequential infrastructure openings in the region’s recent history.
The multi-use path running the length of the new span will be toll-free for anyone on foot or on a bike. That said, free does not mean frictionless. Walkers and cyclists will still need to present valid identification at the border, just as vehicle drivers do. A passport or an enhanced driver’s license will satisfy that requirement. They will also enter the bridge through a separate access point from motor vehicle traffic, keeping foot and bike traffic clear of the congestion that defines crossing at the Ambassador Bridge or the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel today.
The path itself measures approximately 1.5 miles long and nearly 12 feet wide. It operates as a single lane accommodating two-way traffic, meaning cyclists heading into Canada share the same corridor with pedestrians heading back into Detroit, and vice versa. That design puts some responsibility on users to navigate the space with awareness, but the width gives enough room for the path to function without feeling cramped.
On the Michigan side, the path connects to existing infrastructure along West Jefferson Avenue, Campbell Street, and Fort Street in Detroit. Cross the bridge into Windsor and the path links up with local trails there, including the Trans Canada Trail, which stretches across the country. That connection turns the Gordie Howe bridge into something more than just a crossing. For cyclists with ambition, it becomes an entry point into a continental trail network.
When the bridge opens, it will stand alone among Michigan crossings for allowing this kind of access. No other bridge connecting Michigan to Canada currently accommodates pedestrians or cyclists. The Ambassador Bridge, which carries four lanes of vehicle traffic, offers nothing for people on foot. The Detroit-Windsor Tunnel is designed exclusively for motor vehicles. The Gordie Howe bridge changes that entirely.
Looking at US-Canada crossings more broadly, the list of spans allowing pedestrian access is short. The Peace Bridge, the Rainbow Bridge, and the Thousand Islands Bridge each permit foot traffic, but dedicated multi-use paths with this level of infrastructure planning are rare. The Gordie Howe bridge joins a small group of crossings that treat non-motorized users as a legitimate category of traveler rather than an afterthought.
Heather Grondin, chief relations officer for the Gordie Howe International Bridge, explained the thinking behind including the path in the first place. “People didn’t want us to lose a unique opportunity to design a new international crossing without considering the incorporation of a multi-use path for pedestrians and cyclists,” she said in January. That community pressure shaped the final design in a meaningful way. A new crossing of this scale, built from scratch, offered a chance to get something right that older bridges never had the option to consider.
Construction on the bridge began back in 2018, meaning the project has been years in the making. The span is now in its final phase of testing. Officials say the bridge is expected to open this spring, though no confirmed date has been announced. The timeline carries some uncertainty given that Donald Trump has threatened to block the bridge’s opening amid an ongoing trade dispute with Canada. That political friction adds a layer of unpredictability to what has otherwise been a steady march toward completion.
Beyond the pedestrian and cyclist path, the bridge brings significant capacity to Detroit’s border crossing infrastructure. Six vehicle lanes, split evenly with three running in each direction, will give commercial and passenger traffic a third major option for crossing between Detroit and Windsor. The existing Ambassador Bridge runs four lanes, and the tunnel handles additional traffic, but both routes face regular congestion. The new bridge is designed specifically to ease that pressure.
Vehicle tolls, for those driving across, will run at a flat rate of $5.75 for small and medium passenger vehicles, according to an announcement from the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority. That rate is positioned to be cheaper than tolls at the Ambassador Bridge, giving drivers a financial reason to consider the new crossing in addition to the expected benefits of reduced wait times.
For Detroit specifically, the toll-free pedestrian and cyclist path carries implications that go beyond simple border convenience. The city has invested considerably in expanding its network of bike lanes and non-motorized paths over the past several years. A connection from those paths directly onto an international bridge, and from there into Windsor’s trail system, gives that network a destination that no amount of urban bike lane expansion could previously offer. A cyclist can now, in theory, leave a Detroit neighborhood, ride to the bridge on protected infrastructure, cross an international border without paying a toll, and connect to trails extending across Canada.
That kind of access matters for mobility equity as well. The toll-free policy means the crossing is open to anyone with valid identification, regardless of whether they own a car. The Ambassador Bridge and the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel have never offered that. Families without vehicles, students, commuters who prefer cycling, and tourists exploring by bike all gain a border crossing option that did not exist before.
The path’s connection points on the Michigan side, along West Jefferson Avenue, Campbell Street, and Fort Street, place it within reach of several Detroit neighborhoods and existing cycling routes. How the city chooses to develop and promote those connections in the months after the bridge opens will determine how many Detroiters actually take advantage of what the path offers. Physical infrastructure is only useful if people know about it and feel comfortable using it.
Windsor, for its part, gains a direct trail connection to an international crossing for the first time. The link to the Trans Canada Trail in particular gives the path symbolic weight. That trail system spans the country, and the Gordie Howe bridge now serves as a gateway into it from American soil.
Spring 2026 is approaching quickly, and with it, the real possibility that Detroit will finally have a walkable, bikeable link to Canada. Whether the politics surrounding the bridge allow that opening to proceed on schedule remains an open question, but the infrastructure is ready. The path is built, the toll policy is set, and the connections on both sides of the river are in place.
For a city that has long defined itself by the automobile, the Gordie Howe bridge’s multi-use path represents something different. It says that Detroit’s relationship with its waterfront and its Canadian neighbors can include more than just cars moving through a tunnel or over a privately owned bridge. It opens a crossing to anyone willing to walk or ride across it, and it does so for free.
