Celebrating the opening of the Gordie Howe International Bridge and the friendship between the United States and Canada.

Celebrating the opening of the Gordie Howe International Bridge and the friendship between the United States and Canada.

Whereas the idea for a new Detroit-Windsor crossing first emerged in the early 2000s due to an increase in demand for trade and managing traffic control;

Whereas, from 2005 to 2008, there were coordinated environmental studies that were conducted under the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act and the United States National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) to determine the preferred bridge location, ports of entry, and highway connections;

Whereas, in 2012, the Canada Crossing Agreement was signed, allowing Canada to finance and construct the bridge while Michigan would provide land and infrastructure support;

Whereas, in 2015, the Prime Minister of Canada and the Governor of Michigan announced that the bridge between Windsor, Ontario, and Detroit, Michigan, will be named the Gordie Howe International Bridge to commemorate the famous hockey player, Gordie Howe, who throughout his career brought the Detroit Red Wings to 4 Stanley Cup victories;

Whereas, in 2018, the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority and Bridging North America officials were joined by United States and Canadian officials to celebrate the start of full construction of the Gordie Howe International Bridge;

Whereas the bridge’s construction was accomplished due to the perseverance of the American and Canadian people;

Whereas the bridge is heralded as a symbol but also a fact of cooperation between the United States and Canada;

Whereas the Detroit metropolitan area will see increased commerce and freight efficiency through direct highway connections between Canadian and United States highways, reducing delays and increasing capacity for freight movement and economic development;

Whereas communities, including small businesses, within the Detroit metropolitan area will stand to benefit through the strengthening of industries and the project’s community benefit initiatives providing direct investments throughout the district;

Whereas the economic boom expected to accompany the opening of the bridge will benefit both the United States and Canada; and

Whereas the world-class industries in the Detroit metropolitan area have the potential to experience once-in-a-century levels of economic growth that will culminate in higher wage-paying jobs and greater development for future decades: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the House of Representatives—

(1) celebrates the opening of the Gordie Howe International Bridge;

(2) recognizes the economic opportunities afforded to the Detroit metropolitan area by the opening of the Gordie Howe International Bridge; and

(3) honors the accomplishment of the American and Canadian people to complete this symbol of the continued partnership and long-standing friendship between the United States and Canada.