DETROIT – Crews are in the final stages of building the bridge towers for the new Gordie Howe International Bridge in Detroit and Windsor.
The project team said Wednesday that now that the tower legs, also known as the lower pylon, have reached their full height of 460 feet, Bridging North America will begin work on the final portion of the tower – the pylon head. This work will be easily visible to those in west Windsor and Southwest Detroit.
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The towers’ modern and elegant form will take shape as this final 262 feet is completed over the remainder of 2022.
The towers have been under construction since 2019. Each inverted Y-shaped bridge tower is made of cast-in-place reinforced concrete and has been built in sequential manner through ‘lifts’ or tower leg segments of approximately 15.3 feet tall to achieve their aesthetic design and their desired functionality.
It will have six lanes as well as bicycle and pedestrian lanes, and will be able to accept hazardous waste, unlike the Ambassador Bridge, officials said.
The bridge is expected to create 2,500 jobs, and about the same will open on both sides of the Detroit River.
Read back: Gordie Howe International Bridge project includes 5 new pedestrian bridges
“It is an exciting time as the towers – arguably the most visible aspect of construction to date – move into the next and final build phase. With the towers currently standing at over two-thirds of their final 722 feet height, they represent the significant progress the project team has been able to achieve,” said Bryce Phillips, CEO, Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority.
The bridge is expected to open by 2024.
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