The Canadian and U.S. crews constructing the 1.5-mile Gordie Howe Bridge will soon meet in the middle with their bridge sections. Photo courtesy of Bridging North America
Two crews working in Detroit and Windsor, Ont., Canada, will meet in the middle of the Gordie Howe Bridge by the end of June, according to the joint-venture contractor, Bridging North America, managing both sides of the project.
With 85 ft remaining, the same width as an official NHL rink, it is anticipated that the two sides will connect by the end of June. Over the next four-to-six weeks, a multi-step process leading up to the bridge deck connection will be conducted. Crews will install one more segment on the U.S. side that measures 49 ft before work starts on the final segment, known as the mid-span closure.
Once connected, the bridge deck spanning the distance between the two 722-ft-high towers on each side of the border will measure 0.53 miles, making it the longest main span of any cable-stayed bridge in North America and the tenth longest in the world. The segments of the bridge that precede the towers will bring it to a total length of 1.5 miles. BNA said it will also be the longest composite steel and concrete bridge deck for any cable-stayed bridge in the world.
“Bridging North America is proud of the dedicated engineers and skilled trades people whose unwavering commitment to safety and excellence has propelled us closer to completing the bridge deck of the Gordie Howe International Bridge. Their resilience and skill are the driving force behind the realization of this historic infrastructure project,” said David Henderson, CEO of BNA, in a statement. The joint venture includes ACS Infrastructure, Fluor and Aecon.
The project—which also includes customs facilities on both borders and a new interchange to connect to Interstate 75 on the U.S. side—is not expected to be completed until fall of 2025. The Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority, the Canadian Crown Corporation created to serve as owner the bridge, and BNA have amended the P3 contract to include the September 2025 construction completion date and the owner and JV updated the overall contract value to $4.77 billion from the original $4.1-billion project cost. They have also budgeted $2.3 million in a one-year extension of the the Gordie Howe International Bridge Community Benefits Plan that will see the money divided equally between Canadian and U.S. communities on both sides of the new bridge. It will now be spent over the 2025-2026 fiscal year.
Officials at WDBA and BNA said plans for a connection ceremony for the two sides meeting have not yet been finalized.
ENR Midwest Editor and Associate Technology Editor Jeff Yoders has been writing about design and construction innovations for 16 years. He is a two-time Jesse H. Neal award winner and multiple ASBPE winner for his tech coverage. Jeff previously launched Building Design + Construction’s building information modeling blog and wrote a geographic information systems column at CE News. He also wrote about materials prices, construction procurement and estimation for MetalMiner.com. He lives in Chicago, the birthplace of the skyscraper, where the pace of innovation never leaves him without a story to chase.
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