Gordie Howe bridge construction timeline may be accelerated, Trudeau says

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was at the Gordie Howe International Bridge construction kickoff Friday morning in Windsor, Ont., and hinted at potentially "accelerating the timelines" for the project.

Trudeau said at the groundbreaking event that he has been in talks with Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder.

"That's very much how we're focused on getting this done, as quickly as we can, for the people of Detroit, of Windsor and of both of our countries," the prime minister said on his second day in the southwestern Ontario city.

On Sept. 28, it was announced the bridge would cost $3.8 billion to build and the project was set to be finished by 2024. The price tag goes to $5.7 billion with 30 years of maintenance cost added.

Trudeau didn't give any other details about the possibility of completing the bridge before 2024.

Trudeau said the bridge is an "essential project" that will bring thousands of jobs, from trades to engineering, and support the "constant flow of traffic across the Canada-U.S. border."

"This bridge will be an economic boom to the City of Windsor and neighbouring communities," he said.

The prime minister tied in the bridge being good for trade to the United-States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), saying it adds to a good week that saw the free-trade deal reached late Sunday.

"I'm confident that integrated two-way trade between Windsor and Detroit will only increase from here, which is a great thing for local communities and the national economy."

Friday's bridge event, also attended by Communities Minister François-Philippe Champagne, was the first of several stops Trudeau planned to make in Windsor on Friday. 

Trudeau, along with Employment, Workforce Development and Labour Minister Patricia Hajdu, will also tour the FCA Windsor assembly plant at 1:30 p.m. ET, following a morning roundtable discussion with labour union leaders.

The night before, the prime minister was at a Liberal Party fundraising event.