Gordie Howe International Bridge won't open until fall 2025
A second bridge connecting Detroit and Canada over the Detroit River won't open for travel until fall 2025, months later than anticipated, officials said Thursday.
Officials cited construction disruptions in the U.S. and Canada related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Gordie Howe International Bridge, named for a Canadian who played hockey for the NHL's Detroit Red Wings, began in 2018 and was last scheduled to be completed in 2024.
The target now is September 2025, though the bridge deck should be finished this year.
"After a three-year pandemic and considering the size and complexity of the Gordie Howe International Bridge project, our project team is pleased that the impact to the construction schedule is limited to only 10 months beyond the original contracted completion date and that we could agree on a reasonable adjustment to the contract value," said Charl van Niekerk, chief executive of the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority. "With safety as our top priority, we will continue to work together to deliver this much needed infrastructure to the thousands of eager travellers ready to cross North America's longest cable-stayed bridge."
The project carries a price tag of CA$6.4 billion ($4.79 billion), up from CA$5.7 billion ($4.27 billion).
The Howe bridge will join the privately owned Ambassador Bridge as the second span connecting Detroit and Windsor, Ontario.
The Ambassador Bridge is considered the busiest U.S.-Canadian border crossing, carrying 25% of all trade between the two countries. It plays an especially important role in auto manufacturing.