Democrats allege Trump administration stalled US-Canada bridge opening as a favor to billionaire donor

The Gordie Howe international bridge, will link Detroit, Michigan, with Windsor, Ontario. Photograph: Dax Melmer/Reuters View image in fullscreen The Gordie Howe international bridge, will link Detroit, Michigan, with Windsor, Ontario. Photograph: Dax Melmer/Reuters Democrats allege Trump administration stalled US-Canada bridge opening as a favor to billionaire donor Delay seen as move to protect interests of Matthew Moroun, the owner of nearby Ambassador Bridge and a Trump donor The Trump administration for months blocked a $4.7bn publicly owned bridge between Detroit and Windsor, Ontario, a move critics allege is a quid pro quo for a billionaire Donald Trump donor. A ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Gordie Howe international bridge connecting Detroit and Windsor was initially scheduled for early June but was abruptly cancelled amid dispute between US and Canadian officials. On 10 July, Canada announced it reached a deal with the US, and the bridge will open on 27 July. The delay was heavily scrutinized by Democrats, including Rashida Tlaib, a US representative, who said the Trump administration blocked the bridge’s opening as a favor to a donor who owns a nearby bridge. Canada paid for the Howe’s construction, and it will be jointly owned and operated by Michigan and the Canadian government. It was first set to open earlier this year after eight years of construction. The new deal requires US government approval if toll fees are lowered below regional averages, according to media reports. Previously, the Canadian government set toll prices, but the Trump administration seemed set on protecting a nearby bridge owned by Matthew Moroun, a son of the late transportation and real estate scion Manuel Moroun. The younger Moroun owns the nearby Ambassador Bridge, which is North America’s busiest international crossing, and has for decades fiercely opposed plans for the new bridge because he stands to lose business. As many as 3m trucks cross the Detroit River via the Ambassador bridge annually, and Moroun collects up to $100 on each. But the 93-year-old bridge is often heavily congested with truck traffic that causes extremely long delays that slow and frustrate businesses conducting international trade. The delays have gotten so bad that many truckers and others use a nearby tunnel, or a bridge in Port Huron an hour to the north. The bridge has also been cited for safety violations in recent decades and its narrow lanes are considered a danger for first responders. The Howe was envisioned as a symbol of the US and Canada’s close bond, but instead has become a representation of US foreign relations dysfunction. Moroun has capitalized; over the last two decades, his family has mounted multi-prong attacks against the new plans, and is a prolific campaign donor at the state and federal level. Moroun donated $1m to a Trump political action committee (Pac) in January, and in February received a meeting with Howard Lutnick, the US commerce secretary. Hours la