Gordie Howe International Bridge

The Gordie Howe International Bridge (French: Pont International Gordie-Howe), known during development as the Detroit River International Crossing and the New International Trade Crossing, is a cable-stayed international bridge across the Detroit River, currently under construction. The crossing will connect Detroit, Michigan, United States with Windsor, Ontario, Canada, by linking Interstate 75 in Michigan with Highway 401 in Ontario (through the Rt. Hon. Herb Gray Parkway extension of Highway 401). The bridge will provide uninterrupted freeway traffic flow, as opposed to the current configuration with the nearby Ambassador Bridge that connects to city streets on the Ontario side. The bridge is named after Canadian ice hockey player Gordie Howe, whose celebrated career included 25 years with the Detroit Red Wings, and who died two years before construction began. First proposed in the early 2000s, the project was met with prominent opposition by Ambassador Bridge owner Manuel "Matty" Moroun, who believed competition from a publicly owned bridge would reduce his revenue. A Canadian federal Crown corporation, the Windsor–Detroit Bridge Authority, was established in 2012 to coordinate the bridge's construction and management. Environmental approvals and other permits were approved in the United States and Canada in the early 2010s. Lawsuits by Moroun alleged that the crossing agreement was illegal and the Ambassador Bridge had "exclusivity rights". These lawsuits were denied, along with various attempts to stop property expropriations, allowing the project to continue. The "Bridging North America" consortium was selected in July 2018 to design, build, operate and maintain the bridge, and construction began that month. The CA$3.8 billion cost of construction will be funded by the Canadian federal government, paid for by bridge tolls. Construction is expected to be completed in the fall of 2025; however, it will not be open to traffic until "early 2026", pending final tests of the bridge's systems.

History

Background The passage across the Detroit River between the United States and Canada has been an important traffic route since the American Civil War, with ferries transporting goods and people across the river. A railway tunnel (Michigan Central Railway Tunnel) was opened in July 1910, a suspension bridge for road traffic (Ambassador Bridge) opened in November 1929, and a road tunnel (Detroit–Windsor tunnel) opened in 1930. The Ambassador Bridge is the busiest crossing on the Canada–United States border, with nearly 25% of U.S.–Canada border crossings by trucks using the bridge. The bridge has been criticized for its monopoly status (as no trucks are permitted to use the tunnel), private ownership by billionaire Manuel Moroun and poor maintenance record. Both the bridge and the road tunnel lack direct highway connections on the Canadian side, with city streets and traffic lights between them and Ontario Highway 401.

Detroit River International Crossing In the early 2000s, work was begun to investigate the need for a future crossing of the Detroit River by a bi-national partnership of the U.S. Federal Highway Administration, Transport Canada, Ontario Ministry of Transportation and the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT). During development, the project was known as the Detroit River International Crossing (DRIC) and the New International Trade Crossing. In 2004, a joint announcement by the federal government of the United States and Government of Canada confirmed a new border crossing would be constructed between Detroit and Windsor. A bi-national committee was formed to manage the project. An extension of Ontario Highway 401 to the future bridge was also proposed – construction on this extension began in 2011, with the Rt. Hon. Herb Gray Parkway opening in 2015. The various environmental approvals for the project were approved in both the United States and Canada in 2009. In 2009, the Ohio State Senate passed a non-binding resolution expressing support for the crossing, and urged the Michigan government to pass it, due to Canada being Ohio's largest foreign trade partner, with US$35.8 billion per year in goods traded between Ohio and Canada. In 2011, the bridge was tentatively scheduled for completion in 2016, according to the Michigan Department of Transportation. It was estimated the bridge would generate $70.4 million in toll revenues in its first year of operation.

Michigan legislation In 2010, the Michigan Senate had not approved any authorizing legislation related to the bridge. The Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop had stated that the Senate would not vote until revenue forecasts were released, reports that were being withheld by the director of the Michigan Department of Transportation. The Michigan House of Representatives had already passed the measure while the bill was called "doomed" in the Senate. Michigan Governor Rick Snyder supported construction of the new crossing in his first State of the State address on January 19, 2011. His plan would leverage Canadian money to receive a 160 percent match—totaling $2.2 billion—on funding from the Federal Highway Administration in a deal reached the week previous to the speech. In August 2011, Michigan State Senator Mike Kowall, when asked by the Windsor Star if enabling legislation for the bridge would currently pass, replied "absolutely not". In October 2011, the Michigan Senate "rejected a bill [that] would have allowed the state to accept $550 million from the Canadian government to fund the country's share" of the bridge. One commentator, Bill Mann, noted the rejection, saying "Canada calls the new bridge its biggest infrastructure priority and has even offered to pay for the span. But pesky U.S. special-interest politics intrude once again," as he reviewed a number of "U.S. government actions (and inactions) that show little concern about Canadian concerns". Mann drew from a Maclean's article sub-titled "We used to be friends" about U.S.–Canada relations after the Keystone Pipeline, the bridge, and other "insulting" decisions. In June 2012, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Michigan Governor Rick Snyder announced an agreement allowing the project to proceed. The Canadian federal government would fund bridge construction, land acquisition in Michigan and the construction of Interstate 75 on-ramps. The Canadian contribution will be repaid from bridge tolls collected on the Canadian side, and no tolls will be charged on the U.S. side. The crossing agreement also included community benefits for residents on both sides of the Detroit River, including improvements to local neighbourhoods affected by bridge construction.

Approvals and land acquisition On April 12, 2013, the Obama administration granted Michigan the permit required to build the bridge, allowing construction to go forward once details were finalized. In May 2014, the United States Coast Guard issued a bridge permit, the final federal approval required. A Canadian federal Crown corporation, the Windsor–Detroit Bridge Authority (WDBA) began work in July 2014 to coordinate the bridge's construction and management. The Canadian government allocated US$25 million to begin land acquisition on the Detroit side on May 22, 2013. In January 2015, Parsons Corporation was named the general engineering consultant for the bridge. On February 18, 2015, Minister of Transport Lisa Raitt announced Canada would fund the construction of a customs plaza on the U.S. side of the bridge in Detroit's Delray neighborhood. The plaza will have a budget of around US$250 million, and be recouped through tolls. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security will provide a first-year investment of US$150 million, and an "ongoing annual requirement" of US$50 million, to cover the plaza's operational and staffing costs. On May 14, 2015, during an event attended by Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, it was officially announced that the bridge would be known as the Gordie Howe International Bridge after Canadian ice hockey player Gordie Howe, whose celebrated career included 25 years with the Detroit Red Wings. In July 2015, WDBA began work procuring a consortium who would design, build and finance the construction of the bridge, as well as operate and maintain it over a 30 year period. The cost of building the Gordie Howe International Bridge escalated by CA$3.5 billion as the value of the Canadian dollar declined in 2015–2016. In January 2016, it was reported, due to exchange rates and increased inflation, costs could rise to CA$4.8 billion. In July 2016, it was announced many properties that would be required to build the bridge were still in the hands of private landowners. Some properties on the American side of the river were owned by Manuel Moroun, owner of the Ambassador Bridge. An estimated 30 of the 900 properties needed were considered to be problems if the owners resist selling. In July 2016, the CBC reported Dwight Duncan, the former finance minister for Ontario had advised the Government of Canada to consider buying the Ambassador Bridge from Moroun. In a joint statement released after a meeting between newly elected U.S. president Donald Trump and Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau on February 13, 2017, the two governments reiterated the support of the "expeditious completion" of the project. It was listed as a priority infrastructure project by the Donald Trump administration. In June 2017, the City of Detroit sold 36 city-owned parcels of land, underground assets and five miles of city-owned streets in the Delray neighborhood, which is the site of the U.S. Customs facility. A US$33 million neighborhood improvement fund for the neighborhood was set up. Residents of the area can stay and have their home renovated or move to a renovated home in a different neighborhood. In May 2018, the Michigan Court of Appeals ruled against Moroun's attempt to stop expropriations on the Michigan side of the river, allowing construction of the U.S. plaza to begin.

Construction

On July 5, 2018, WDBA was announced the consortium "Bridging North America" had been awarded the bridge contract, using a design, build, finance, operate and maintain structure. The consortium consisted of AECOM for design; Dragados Canada, Fluor Corporation, and Aecon for construction; and ACS Infrastructure, Fluor, and Aecon for operations and maintenance. Following construction, Bridging North America will receive monthly payments for operating and maintaining the bridge over a 30 year period. Construction began on July 17, 2018, with groundbreaking by Minister of Infrastructure Amarjeet Sohi and Michigan Governor Rick Snyder. On September 28, 2018, the WDBA announced the project would cost CA$3.8 billion to construct, part of a CA$5.7 billion contract with Bridging North America. The bridge was to be completed by the end of 2024. In 2019, preparatory work for major construction continued, with cleaning of contaminated land. An effort by the Michigan Republican Party to prevent MDOT spending money on the bridge (even if MDOT would later be reimbursed by Canada) was reversed, allowing the project to continue. CA$20 million of community benefits for local residents on both sides of the Detroit River was also announced. In 2020, the design of new pedestrian bridges over Interstate 75 were unveiled, and work began on the foundations for the bridge towers. Construction was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, with changes to working practices, travel restrictions and material shortages. In January 2021, foundation work for the bridge towers had been completed, and construction of the 220-metre (722 ft) bridge towers was underway. In March 2021, work began to construct the buildings in the Canadian port of entry. By March 2022, legs of the bridge on both sides of the Detroit River had been completed, with road deck construction underway. By November 2022, over 150 m (490 ft) of the bridge towers had been completed. The WDBA noted that the bridge could open in 2025 owing to delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, however the builder of the bridge noted they were pushing for a 2024 opening date. By May 2023, cables used to hold up the future bridge deck were starting to be installed. In August 2023, the US bridge tower reached its final height of 220 m (722 ft), with the Canadian bridge tower completed in December 2023. In October 2023, the WDBA explained that major construction would likely be completed by the end of 2024, with elements such as signs and lighting taking another six months to install. WDBA also noted that around 2,300 people were working on the site at the peak of construction. In January 2024, the WDBA announced that the bridge would open by fall 2025, a delay of 10 months from the planned opening date owing to delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. CA$700 million of additional costs would be met by the Canadian government. It was also confirmed that the bridge deck would be completed in 2024. The two sides were permanently connected during the early morning hours of June 14, 2024. By June 2025, 95% of construction had been completed, with workers disassembling construction cranes, and planning to test the lighting on the bridge. As of September 2025, construction of the bridge is expected to be completed by the end of fall 2025, but no firm opening date was announced. In October 2025, officials said that it will not be open to traffic until "early 2026".

Design The cable-stayed bridge design is by chief bridge architect of AECOM, Erik Behrens. Each of its two A-shaped bridge towers, standing 220 m (722 ft) tall, was built on opposite banks of the Detroit River. The road deck itself is held up using 216 cable stays. It has the longest main span of any cable-stayed bridge in North America at 853 m (2,800 ft), with a total bridge length of 2.5 km (1.6 mi). At the highest point above the Detroit River, the bridge is 46 m (151 ft) above the water. The bridge has six lanes for automotive traffic, and a bicycle and walking path. On the U.S side, the port of entry will encompass 68 hectares (170 acres) with border inspection facilities, directly connecting to Interstate 75 with dedicated highway ramps. On the Canadian side, the port of entry will encompass 53 hectares (130 acres) with border inspection facilities, toll collection and bridge maintenance facilities. It will directly connect to Ontario Highway 401. The bicycle and walking path will connect to new and existing trails as well as bike lanes on both sides of the Detroit River. With traffic crossing the border expected to grow from 18,500 vehicles a day in 2016 to 26,500 by 2025, the Gordie Howe International Bridge will provide an orderly flow of people and goods between the two countries. Transport Canada retained the engineering firms, Morrison Hershfield, Davis Langdon, and Delcan to develop cost estimates for right of way and utility relocation; desig