Largest Canada-U.S. border crossing will open in Ontario this year

A new largest Canadian port of entry along the Canada-U.S. border is on track to open later this year as part of the colossal Gordie Howe International Bridge project unfolding in Windsor, Ontario and Detroit, Michigan.

The bridge has become one of the country’s most-talked-about engineering marvels, now laying claim to the crown of the longest cable-stayed bridge span in North America, but less attention has been paid to the enormous port of entry (POE) under construction on the Canadian side of the bridge.

The approximately 53-hectare/130-acre facility will be Canada’s largest border crossing with the U.S., with a massive footprint that the project team states “allows for the installation of further technology and the addition of expanded border processing facilities”

The bridge team recently released a detailed video that offers a behind-the-scenes glimpse at the new crossing ahead of its planned opening this September.

The POE includes toll collection facilities for both U.S.-bound and Canada-bound traffic, and is the first thing motorists will see upon reaching or before departing the Canadian side of the border.

The toll canopy has been designed to emulate the form of a wind turbine blade, and houses eight tollbooths for Canada-bound traffic and another eight booths for U.S.-bound traffic.

Tolls will be collected via transponders, credit cards, and other forms of electronic payment, allowing the booths to be operated remotely from an adjacent control building.

Details on how motorists will pay these tolls will be revealed closer to the opening date.

However, not everyone crossing the bridge will do so in a car or truck, and the POE also includes a dedicated CBSA checkpoint for pedestrians and cyclists in its Client Processing Centre.

This checkpoint will grant cross-border access via a multi-use trail spanning the bridge, offering commanding views of the Detroit and Windsor skylines.

According to the project team, “as you cross the Gordie Howe International Bridge, you will find modern border capabilities that focus on a customer-centric experience with 24 primary inspection lanes separating commercial and non-commercial traffic, outbound inspection facilities, and on-site offices for government agencies to generate efficiencies for all travellers.”

There will be a dozen inspection lanes dedicated for both commercial and non-commercial vehicles.

One area of the new border crossing you probably won’t want to experience for yourself is the secondary inspection area, where CBSA (Canada Border Services Agency) agents will divert vehicles into inspection bays for further examination.

The POE also features a separate commercial warehouse that includes animal pens and even a cold storage area for imported products subject to inspection by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.

Canada’s next major border checkpoint even has a HAZMAT bay for vehicles that may pose dangers to staff and the public, as well as high-tech security features like a full-truck-sized vehicle x-ray bay.

In addition to being Canada’s largest, the Canadian POE at the Gordie Howe Bridge will stand as one of the largest ports of entry on the continent. However, the U.S. POE just across the river will be even larger, measuring approximately 68 hectares/167 acres.

The first cars and trucks are expected to filter through these new ports of entry in September 2025, ten months later than its initial targeted completion date of late 2024.