There’s a new way to get to Canada, and it won’t cost you any gas or money — just a few calories.
The Gordie Howe International Bridge’s multi-use path opened Wednesday morning to pedestrians and cyclists, giving people the chance to walk or bike across the international span for the first time.
Hundreds of people lined up on the Detroit side of the border, hoping to be among the first to make the crossing.
Three years ago, Amanda Ray started the Gordie Howe International Bike Club Facebook group to share information about the multi-use path and build a community of cyclists on both sides of the border.
The group has since grown to more than 3,500 members.
I joined Ray and other members of the group Wednesday morning for the inaugural crossing.
We met at Historic Fort Wayne and took the short ride to the bridge entrance on Jefferson Avenue.
“The motto of today is just roll with it,” Ray said.
And that’s exactly what we did.
By late morning, the bridge reached capacity on the U.S. side, and officials temporarily paused additional pedestrians and cyclists from entering until noon.
While waiting in line, I met Marcell Glover, who planned to run across the bridge with a friend.
“For us to be able to connect, walk, cycle and run this — it’s a great opportunity, so I had to come out here,” Glover said.
Karen Dunnam traveled from Grand Rapids for opening day, spending the night in Windsor so she could be among the first people to cross from Canada into the United States.
I met her after she cleared customs on the U.S. side and asked if the wait was worth it.
Dunnam said it was.
“It was really fun. People were stopping to take photos. There are some great views,” she said.
We made it through the entrance to the bridge around noon and began the climb up.
Riding across the bridge, I was in awe of the beauty, and I thought of the men and women who worked on it for years.
The path is a single lane that accommodates two-way pedestrian and cyclist traffic. It’s 1.5 miles long with a 5% grade. Total travel distance between the two border inspection booths is 1.8 miles one way.
Expect a 20-minute crossing by bike or 45 minutes on foot, one way, not including border processing time. The same travel documents required for a vehicle crossing apply here.
The multi-use path is free.
It was an amazing experience — one I plan to repeat with my family.