*Photo courtesy of Gordie Howe International Bridge
The Gordie Howe International Bridge is officially connected, linking the U.S. and Canada. For more than a decade, the Detroit Regional Chamber led efforts to support the new bridge project.
Learn more about the project’s latest achievement in the news release below.
July 24, 2024
Today, the Honourable Sean Fraser, Canada’s Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities, and Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer celebrated the latest achievement in the ongoing construction of the Gordie Howe International Bridge with the work to connect the bridge deck between Windsor, Ontario and Detroit, Michigan now complete and the Gordie Howe International Bridge becoming an official border crossing.
Joined by the U.S. Federal Highway Administrator, Shailen Bhatt, the Mayor of Windsor, senior officials from the Canada Border Services Agency and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, local elected officials and project team members, the Minister and Governor represented Canada and Michigan respectively as co-owners of the public bridge.
Since June 14, 2024, when the now iconic photograph was taken of a Canadian ironworker and an American ironworker shaking hands atop a beam 46 m/150 ft above the Detroit River, workers have completed the overall connection process by installing the remaining steel beams and precast concrete panels.
The celebration not only recognized this phase of bridge construction and its new designation, but also served to acknowledge the over 20 years of collaboration, cooperation and commitment exercised by the various project partners to advance the Gordie Howe International Bridge to its current state.
Measuring 853 metres/0.53 miles, the Gordie Howe International Bridge is the longest cable-stayed bridge in North America and tenth longest in the world. It is the first new crossing to connect Ontario and Michigan in more than 60 years and will contribute to economic growth by strengthening the fluidity and resiliency at the Windsor-Detroit trade corridor, seamlessly connecting North America.
QUICK FACTS
- Ironworkers, Operating Engineers and Labourers took time to commemorate their significant contributions to the project through separate events held in June and July 2024.
- Approximately one year of work remains to complete the bridge construction as the focus shifts from the deck to the bridge surface.
- In addition to the bridge, progress at the Canadian and US Ports of Entry continues with all buildings and structures at advanced construction stages.
- Work is advancing on the Michigan Interchange with construction of the pedestrian bridges and ramps connecting I-75 in Detroit to the US Port of Entry, creating, for the first time, a direct highway-to-highway link to Highway 401 in Windsor.
ABOUT THE GORDIE HOWE INTERNATIONAL BRIDGE PROJECT
The Gordie Howe International Bridge project is a once-in-a-generation undertaking that will support the efficient and effective movement of people and goods through the Windsor-Detroit gateway. The project consists of the longest cable-stayed bridge in North America, the two largest land Ports of Entry on the Canada-US border and a connection to I-75. Not only will the project deliver much-needed transportation improvements for international travellers, it will also provide jobs and opportunities for growth to the Windsor-Detroit region and includes features that make this project truly distinctive. At the heart of this project is a desire to provide a border crossing facility that is customer-centric, easy to use and makes travelling from point A to point B as simple as possible, beginning in fall 2025.