The new Gordie Howe International Bridge will include a pedestrian link between Michigan and Canada under terms of a new agreement.
On Sept., 9, officials in Michigan and Canada
signed a memorandum of understanding to connect trails on either side of the border the new bridge over the Detroit River, which is scheduled to open by the end of 2024.
The goal is to link the Great Lakes Waterfront Trail in Ontario to the Iron Belle Trail in Michigan, as well as connect to a proposed land and water trail network under development in southeast Michigan between Lake Erie, Lake St. Clair and Lake Huron called the
Great Lakes Way.
The agreement was signed in Windsor last week by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR), Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan, Trans Canada Trail and the Waterfront Regeneration Trust (WRT) in Ontario.
Officials say the goal is to enhance tourism
“Recently, people have turned to state trails, parks and waterways like never before, seeking space, comfort and connection,” said Dan Eichinger, DNR director. “The opportunities afforded by this partnership surely will provide even greater reward for getting outdoors.”
Eichinger was among several officials who spoke at an hourlong ceremony last week that was long on philosophical remarks about connecting people and condolences over the death of the United Kingdom’s Queen Elizabeth II, but short on details about the pathway operation.
According to Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority (WDBA), multi-use path users “will be subject to the same cross-border travel requirements as those in a passenger or commercial vehicle.”
Trail users will need a passport, NEXUS card or other acceptable form of identification “and they will be processed by a customs officer accordingly,” said WDBA communications director Tara Carson.
Carson said the bridge design was revised in 2017 to include the planned multi-use path, a single 12-foot wide outside lane with two-way path traffic. Separate customs booths will process cyclists and pedestrians. Concrete barriers will separate path users from vehicles.