Windsor mayor says Ambassador Bridge owner may seek exit after Gordie Howe launch

Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens has speculated that the Ambassador Bridge could eventually be sold to a regional border authority once the Gordie Howe International Bridge opens later this month.

Speaking to reporters on Monday, Dilkens said he believes there may have been a “deal behind the scenes” involving the Ambassador Bridge's owners to secure the 27 July opening date for the new crossing.

“The day the Gordie Howe bridge opens, the viability of the Ambassador Bridge certainly plummets,” Dilkens said.

“The owner of the Ambassador Bridge “will probably be looking for an exit sooner rather than later with a significant decrease in revenue.”

Dilkens stressed that his comments were speculative, saying the idea was “all speculation” and that he was “reading between the lines” and “putting pieces together from conversations” he had and “things” he had heard.

The Gordie Howe International Bridge is expected to attract a significant share of commercial truck traffic thanks to its direct motorway connections between Highway 401 in Ontario and Interstate 75 in Michigan.

Former Michigan governor and former US ambassador to Canada James Blanchard told the Toronto Star that a proposal to place both border crossings under an international authority was discussed more than a decade ago but was rejected by the late bridge owner Manuel "Matty" Moroun.