WINDSOR, ON — The final stretch of the new Rt. Hon. Herb Gray Parkway opened to traffic on Saturday, eventually connecting with the Gordie Howe International Bridge, linking Windsor to Detroit.

This new section of Highway 401 between Highway 3 (Huron Church Road) and Ojibway Parkway will help improve access and mobility along the Detroit River, according to the Ontario Ministry of Transportation.

Construction of the $1.4 billion Rt. Hon. Herb Gray Parkway began in 2011 and is the largest highway infrastructure project in Ontario’s history.

As part of this investment, an eight-kilometer portion of Highway 401 between North Talbot Road and E.C. Row Expressway was opened in June.

The Rt. Hon. Herb Gray Parkway includes an extension of Highway 401 that runs from the area west of the North Talbot Road Bridge to E.C. Row Expressway, and then parallel to E.C. Row Expressway and Ojibway Parkway, plus an extension of Highway 3, including the multi-lane roundabout to the area of E.C. Row Expressway where it links into Huron Church Road.

The Windsor-Detroit Gateway carries nearly one-third of Canada’s road trade with the U.S. In 2014, the combined daily value of commodity trade was $402 million, including $332 million by truck, in current Canadian dollars.

Until the new Gordie Howe International Bridge is completed, currently set for 2020, vehicles destined for the United States will continue to exit at Huron Church Road.