The busiest land border crossing in North America is the Windsor-Detroit border crossing across the Ambassador Bridge. The new Gordie Howe Bridge will also connect Windsor and Detroit and will allow for more travel between the United States and Canada.
The public Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority partnered with privately owned Bridging North America based in Texas and Fluor based in Madrid in 2022 to build the Gordie Howe bridge. The cost of the bridge has topped out at $4.68 billion U.S. dollars and $6.4 billion Canadian dollars.
On July 9, builders announced that the two sides of the bridge were now connected, construction workers celebrated with a handshake between two local union workers from their respective countries.
When the construction of the bridge deck started in December 2022 on opposite sides of the banks of the Detroit River, and by the end of May 2024 the last concrete slabs had been installed on both sides of the bridge. With the last of the concrete slabs installed, this left only thirty-six feet between both sides of the bridge. The two sides had to work together on a multi week project that would help connect both sides with such a small gap separating the two sides. This consisted of elevating the Canadian side of the bridge by six inches and using temporary bracing to hold the structure in alignment before fitting steel edge girders and other components of the closure. The mid-span closure is custom built to fit the gap, this was not a pre-designed slap unlike the other segments that make up the bridge. The end of the multi week process ended on July 9, 2024, when the two sides were finally connected.
The other projects with the bridge are underway as well including interior work on all of the buildings within the Canadian Port of entry and about half of the interior buildings within the U.S. port of entry, including window fixtures, heating, and cooling, electrical, plumbing and flooring. The placement of girders on the ramps over I-75 leading to the U.S. port on entry is also underway. The remaining bridge work includes stressing stay cables, installing electrical, fire suppression and drainage systems, adding barriers, signage, lighting, deck paving and pavement markings and completing a multi-use path.
The Gordie Howe bridge was originally slated to be finished in 2024 but was delayed due to COVID-19 travel restrictions between the U.S. and Canada. Even with the delays from the pandemic the bridge is set to be completed by fall of 2025. Upon completion, the Gordie Howe bridge will be the longest cable-stayed bridge in North America at 1.5 miles long. It will be just a bit shorter than the Ambassador bridge that is located just two miles from the current border crossing. The Gordie Howe bridge will be the fifth international border crossing between the United States and Canada in Michigan.
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