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Crossing the newly opened Gordie Howe International Bridge was a goal years in the making for Robert Pelowski, who recalls being in elementary school when the project was first announced.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It was a goal he achieved on Monday.<\/p>\n
Roughly 7,500 vehicles crossed the bridge in the first 12 hours it was open, according to the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority, and Pelowski was in one of them. <\/p>\n
\u201cJust watching the structure go up from when I was a kid all the way up to today, standing here with all these people crossing in 2026 was absolutely amazing,\u201d said Pelowski, who hails from Southgate, Mich., shortly before crossing over to Windsor.\u00a0 \u201cI had to be here to see one piece of history come to life.\u201d<\/p>\n
The opening of the bridge has been highly anticipated by people on both sides of the Detroit River. The new six-lane bridge promises to expedite traffic between Windsor and Detroit and is equipped with up-to-date x-ray imaging facilities<\/a>.<\/p>\n For many on both sides of the bridge, the sheer size and visibility of the structure also make it a new landmark for the area.\u00a0<\/p>\n Joining Pelowski were countless Canadians, some of whom travelled hours to be among the first to cross the international span.<\/p>\n Kyle Morrow and his son, Theo, made the trip to Windsor from Cambridge, Ont., on Sunday evening, crossing into Detroit on Monday morning via the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel.<\/p>\n \u201cWe wanted to be here on the very first day that it opened, be part of the group of first Canadians to cross it,\u201d the older Morrow told CBC shortly before his first crossing<\/p>\n An alternative to the Ambassador Bridge<\/p>\n For many first-time crossers, the Gordie Howe bridge offers a more appealing alternative to the nearly-century old Ambassador Bridge, directly connecting Ontario\u2019s Highway 401 to the American I-75<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cI think the biggest thing for me is the ease from Canada onto the bridge, the ease of access to just go from the 401 right onto that bridge,\u201d said Jim Pereira, who drove the first transport truck across the Gordie Howe for Windsor\u2019s Onfreight Logistics. <\/p>\n \u201cAll my experiences are driving across the Ambassador Bridge or any other bridge; it seems like you were very tight.\u201d<\/p>\n LISTEN | Meet the first Windsor trucker to cross the Gordie Howe International Bridge:<\/p>\n Afternoon Drive7:03Meet the first Windsor trucker to cross the Gordie Howe International Bridge <\/p>\n Jim Pereira is a fleet safety manager with Windsor’s Onfreight Logistics. He shares what it was like to be behind the wheel of the first commercial vehicle to cross the Gordie Howe International Bridge.<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1785311475_348_default.jpg\")
Kyle Morrow and his son, Theo, were among the first Canadians to cross the Gordie Howe bridge after it opened on Monday. The elder Morrow said it was Gordie Howe’s connection to Cambridge, Ont., where he and his son, Theo, live, which inspired him to make the crossing. (Christopher Ensing\/CBC)<\/p>\n