Crews closer to connecting Gordie Howe International Bridge
(CBS DETROIT) – Crews on the Gordie Howe International Bridge will soon mark a major construction milestone, getting closer to completing the massive span.
Work began over the Detroit River in December 2022, and the final section of the bridge deck is about a month away from completion.
Although it isn't quite done, the Gordie Howe Bridge is on its way to becoming the longest cable-stay bridge in North America.
Right now, there's just an 85-foot gap between America and Canada.
"This has been a long day coming, and to go up there and then get down to the end and you can actually see the Canadian workers, and they're almost basically right there. I mean, yeah, it's been a lot of hours and hard work to get there. So yeah, it's very exciting," said Jayne Griffor, a labor foreman.
Griffor is one of the thousands of workers who collectively have logged over 13 million hours on the project.
"To be honest, I was afraid of heights when I first came out here, gotten over that. It's exhilarating being up there. It's amazing views of the city and downriver," Griffor said.
Over the next month, workers will install one more segment on the U.S. side before they put in the final piece on the span.
"The last section, the closure section, it will be cut to fit. And then partially that has to be adjusted, depending on what the temperature is at the time of the year we actually moved to completion because of the expansion properties of the steel," David Henderson, CEO of Bridging North America, said.
Once complete, the bridge will have six lanes of traffic and a pathway for pedestrians and cyclists.
"We anticipated opening the bridge in the fall of 2025. So there'll be a little bit of time after construction is completed where we'll be doing our final testing, ensuring that everything is working. So the tolling systems are working, the lighting systems are working, and our border agencies who will have access to come in, do their fit-up, train their staff, and who are all ready to go. Because our goal really is to have as seamless as an opening day as possible," Heather Grondin, Chief Relations Officer at the Windsor Detroit Bridge Authority, said.
The Gordie Howe International Bridge features 216 stay cables, of which all but 10 have been installed. The remaining cables will be installed by mid-June.
"It's an honor to be here. I'm very blessed to be part of history," Griffor said.