Gordie Howe Bridge (US-Canada)

[1995hoo]

I suspect the path is primarily considered to be recreational, much like the Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge path is.  The GMCB path has a similar speed restriction due to how narrow it is (although it's rounded up to 15).  You probably wouldn't get a ticket for running faster - it's probably just to keep cyclists from blowing past pedestrians at high speed.

I found this part of the FAQ to be a bit contradictory:

Users are allowed to return to their country of origin at any point along their journey. Border inspection is mandatory upon entering the country regardless of duration or length of trip on the path.

So, an you turn back at any point, or are you locked in to proceeding all the way to customs if you step even one inch across the border?  As much as I would think treating it like the Peace Arch would be logical (especially since, unlike the Peace Arch, all users must go through customs when exiting), I'm also not sure that the current US government would agree to something like that.

It means that you can turn back, but you still have to clear customs in the country from which your trip originated even though you may not have entered the other. In other words, once you go onto the bridge, you have to clear either US or Canadian customs even if you only go partway across (say, you want to take a picture of yourself straddling the border). You don't have to "proceed all the way to" the other country's customs facility.

[ilpt4u]

It means that you can turn back, but you still have to clear customs in the country from which your trip originated even though you may not have entered the other. In other words, once you go onto the bridge, you have to clear either US or Canadian customs even if you only go partway across (say, you want to take a picture of yourself straddling the border). You don't have to "proceed all the way to" the other country's customs facility.

I am imagining pulling a Fast & Furious U'ey on the 6-lane bridge deck that has no separation barrier, to return to my origin point

[JREwing78]

CTV: Some truck drivers told to stay off the Gordie Howe Bridge
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTPxKpDD42I&pp=ugUEEgJlbg%3D%3D

Being private owners of the Ambassador means you can do things like link up a contract with Stellantis where their FCA Transport trucks get to all-they-can-eat of the Ambassador Bridge for $160,000 a month, where they were previously paying $400,000 a month (according to the CTV report).

The drivers apparently aren't legally prohibited from the Gordie Howe, but why would Stellantis want to spend money on the same toll twice? Short answer: they don't.

Interestingly, both the Ambassador and the Gordie Howe fall under the same Port of Detroit, so which bridge they choose to cross over doesn't matter. They file their paperwork for the border crossing and can choose whichever crossing they want - unless their company made a deal to use the Ambassador instead.

[bulldog1979]

I suspect the path is primarily considered to be recreational, much like the Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge path is.  The GMCB path has a similar speed restriction due to how narrow it is (although it's rounded up to 15).  You probably wouldn't get a ticket for running faster - it's probably just to keep cyclists from blowing past pedestrians at high speed.

I found this part of the FAQ to be a bit contradictory:

Users are allowed to return to their country of origin at any point along their journey. Border inspection is mandatory upon entering the country regardless of duration or length of trip on the path.

So, an you turn back at any point, or are you locked in to proceeding all the way to customs if you step even one inch across the border?  As much as I would think treating it like the Peace Arch would be logical (especially since, unlike the Peace Arch, all users must go through customs when exiting), I'm also not sure that the current US government would agree to something like that.

It means that you can turn back, but you still have to clear customs in the country from which your trip originated even though you may not have entered the other. In other words, once you go onto the bridge, you have to clear either US or Canadian customs even if you only go partway across (say, you want to take a picture of yourself straddling the border). You don't have to "proceed all the way to" the other country's customs facility.

I did something similar in 2019 when I participated in the International Bridge Walk at Sault Ste. Marie. At the proscribed time, I walked from the Norris Center on the campus of Lake Superior State down Easterday Avenue and down the on ramp to northbound I-75, past the toll booths and over the bridge to Canada. When I arrived at the table to collect my certificate of completion, there were seats on a school bus empty, so I did not pass through Canadian customs and officially enter Canada. The bus did have to stop at US customs to allow us to walk inside and be processed by an agent in a room that looks a lot like a bank lobby. After being processed, we got back on the bus and rode back to campus. So it's the one time that I was in Canada without being in Canada.

[kalvado]

I suspect the path is primarily considered to be recreational, much like the Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge path is.  The GMCB path has a similar speed restriction due to how narrow it is (although it's rounded up to 15).  You probably wouldn't get a ticket for running faster - it's probably just to keep cyclists from blowing past pedestrians at high speed.

I found this part of the FAQ to be a bit contradictory:

Users are allowed to return to their country of origin at any point along their journey. Border inspection is mandatory upon entering the country regardless of duration or length of trip on the path.

So, an you turn back at any point, or are you locked in to proceeding all the way to customs if you step even one inch across the border?  As much as I would think treating it like the Peace Arch would be logical (especially since, unlike the Peace Arch, all users must go through customs when exiting), I'm also not sure that the current US government would agree to something like that.

It means that you can turn back, but you still have to clear customs in the country from which your trip originated even though you may not have entered the other. In other words, once you go onto the bridge, you have to clear either US or Canadian customs even if you only go partway across (say, you want to take a picture of yourself straddling the border). You don't have to "proceed all the way to" the other country's customs facility.

I did something similar in 2019 when I participated in the International Bridge Walk at Sault Ste. Marie. At the proscribed time, I walked from the Norris Center on the campus of Lake Superior State down Easterday Avenue and down the on ramp to northbound I-75, past the toll booths and over the bridge to Canada. When I arrived at the table to collect my certificate of completion, there were seats on a school bus empty, so I did not pass through Canadian customs and officially enter Canada. The bus did have to stop at US customs to allow us to walk inside and be processed by an agent in a room that looks a lot like a bank lobby. After being processed, we got back on the bus and rode back to campus. So it's the one time that I was in Canada without being in Canada.

Depending on how you define being in Canada. There are plenty of domestic flights going into Canada airspace.
You can also go to Niagara falls, board a Maid of the mist boat flying Canadian flag, which goes on front of horseshoe falls - and very possibly crossing the geographic border in process.
Both don't require passenger interaction with officials on either side.

[vdeane]

Depending on how you define being in Canada. There are plenty of domestic flights going into Canada airspace.
You can also go to Niagara falls, board a Maid of the mist boat flying Canadian flag, which goes on front of horseshoe falls - and very possibly crossing the geographic border in process.
Both don't require passenger interaction with officials on either side.

According to Google Maps, the Maid of the Mist would have to go into Canada since the border is very close to the US side there.  Of course, there are other options - such as visiting the Haskell Free Library and Opera House in Derby Line.  Or taking an Uncle Sam Boat Tour from Alexandria Bay to Singer Castle - the channel passes briefly through Ontario between Three Sisters Island and Singer Castle (before it formally crosses over at Crossover Island, though it crosses back and forth a few more times before entering Canada permanently east of Cornwall).

[jeffandnicole]

You can also go to Niagara falls, board a Maid of the mist boat flying Canadian flag, which goes on front of horseshoe falls - and very possibly crossing the geographic border in process...

During the Covid pandemic, riding the Maid of the Mist from the NY side is how I entered Canada when it was basically shut down to international tourists. It also made for a good excuse to roadtrip and visit Niagara Falls, NY in general, since it's generally not that great of a town to begin with, without too much to do. 

[theline]

Depending on how you define being in Canada. There are plenty of domestic flights going into Canada airspace.
You can also go to Niagara falls, board a Maid of the mist boat flying Canadian flag, which goes on front of horseshoe falls - and very possibly crossing the geographic border in process.
Both don't require passenger interaction with officials on either side.

According to Google Maps, the Maid of the Mist would have to go into Canada since the border is very close to the US side there.  Of course, there are other options - such as visiting the Haskell Free Library and Opera House in Derby Line.  Or taking an Uncle Sam Boat Tour from Alexandria Bay to Singer Castle - the channel passes briefly through Ontario between Three Sisters Island and Singer Castle (before it formally crosses over at Crossover Island, though it crosses back and forth a few more times before entering Canada permanently east of Cornwall).

When we visited the Thousand Islands a few years ago, we took a short cruise through the islands. We were entertained (or was it annoyed) as our phones kept welcoming us to Canada or the United States alternately. Since our only landings were on US soil, we didn't have face customs.

[Great Lakes Roads]

I'm going to be in Windsor tomorrow night (just a quick two-day trip) to drive and film the Gordie Howe Bridge as well as clinching some roads in Michigan and Ontario.

[Great Lakes Roads]

My experience on the new Gordie Howe Bridge (heading to Canada):

Fast and efficient experience! The Canadian custom lady was very nice and let us into the country within 3-4 mins with zero waiting! It's surreal to see a direct connection to the 401 without having to use the surface street, and there was a line of semi-trucks waiting to cross into Canada from the US on the Gordie Howe.

[Plutonic Panda]

More information about the mixed use pathway and the first people to cross it:

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/windsor/gordie-howe-bridge-active-transportation-opening-9.7296030

[oscar]

My experience on the new Gordie Howe Bridge (heading to Canada):

Fast and efficient experience! The Canadian custom lady was very nice and let us into the country within 3-4 mins with zero waiting! It's surreal to see a direct connection to the 401 without having to use the surface street, and there was a line of semi-trucks waiting to cross into Canada from the US on the Gordie Howe.

I drove the bridge in the other direction Thursday evening. The US Customs lane I first chose, the car ahead of me was being sniffed by a drug dog. I moved over one lane, and after a long wait for the car ahead of me to clear that lane, it sounded like the prolonged discussion resulted in a secondary search. Fortunately, the border agent was in a better mood when he briefly interrogated me before letting me go with no search.

The toll collection (on the Canadian side) was a big improvement over the Ambassador Bridge with its decrepit credit card swipe readers. The Gordie Howe readers are contactless tap readers, and worked fine.

I crossed at night. The bridge looked awesome.

[bulldog1979]

The Soo Locks boat tours head upbound through the US locks and downbound through the Canadian lock. Because the passengers do not interact with the Canadian mainland, they would not have to pass through customs even through the boats are in Canadian waters.

[Great Lakes Roads]

My experience on the new Gordie Howe Bridge (heading to Canada):

Fast and efficient experience! The Canadian custom lady was very nice and let us into the country within 3-4 mins with zero waiting! It's surreal to see a direct connection to the 401 without having to use the surface street, and there was a line of semi-trucks waiting to cross into Canada from the US on the Gordie Howe.

My experience heading to the US on the new bridge:

Took us a while to get through Customs on the US side. The car in front of us ended up getting an orange sticky note on their front windshield (ended up going into secondary?). For us, it was a painless 30-second process (hand over the passports, asked us what we did in Canada, and let us go on a merry way to I-75)! Drove over the Gordie Howe Bridge on August 5th, which was the same day that the trail opened to the public, and a lot of people were using it!

(Also, why do people stop so far back from the toll booths on the Canada side? It was very weird!) I should also mention that we paid in USD cash in both directions.