(Detroit) The second bridge connecting Canada to Detroit, Michigan, will not open to traffic until fall 2025, several months late.
Project officials cited disruptions in the construction industry in the United States and Canada related to the COVID-19 pandemic to explain the postponement.
Construction of the Gordie Howe International Bridge, named in honor of the Canadian hockey player who wore the colors of the Detroit Red Wings, began in 2018 and was scheduled to be completed in 2024.
The goal now is to open the bridge to traffic in September 2025, although the bridge deck is expected to be completed this year.
“After a three-year pandemic and given the size and complexity of the Gordie Howe International Bridge project, our project team is pleased that the impact on the construction schedule is limited to just 10 months beyond of the originally planned completion date,” said Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority President and CEO Charl van Niekerk in a statement.
The project will cost 6.4 billion, if we rely on the most recent estimate. The figure that was previously put forward was 5.7 billion.
The Gordie Howe Bridge will become the third highway link connecting Detroit and Windsor, Ontario, alongside the Ambassador Bridge and the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel.
The Ambassador Bridge is considered the busiest border crossing between Canada and the United States, carrying 25% of all trade between the two countries. It plays a particularly important role in the automobile manufacturing sector.