DETROIT – The Gordie Howe International Bridge has entered its final stage of construction.
Photos: Decks nearly connected on new Detroit-Windsor Gordie Howe Bridge
Work started in 2018 on both sides of the Detroit River. While these things take a lot of time, they are making progress and they’re inching their way to the first major milestone.
The apex of the Gordie Howe Bridge sits some 150 above the emerald green waters of the Detroit River. Crews will fill in the 85-foot hole in June, but this last piece is not like the others they’ve pieced together more quickly. The last section is a custom job. According to Bridging North America CEO David Henderson, that’s out of necessity.
“It will be cut to fit and partially has to be adjusted depending on what the temperature is,” Henderson said. “The time of the year, we actually do the completion because of the expansion properties of the steel.”
Skilled trade people who have worked in the harshest weather conditions are continuing their progress on the bridge.
The Gordie Howe Bridge is a cable-stay bridge, which means it uses cables to support the weight of the bridge. The spires stand 722 feet tall, roughly the same height as the Renaissance Center, and the white cable strands stand out against the blue sky. There is enough wire to stretch from Detroit to Alaska.
The spires carry the brunt of the load and the precision needed to make certain both sides join correctly comes down to this:
“The bridge engineers and the construction managers have assured me that there’s been no more than 100 to 150 millimeters of deviation and they’ve been targeting each other all the way across,” Henderson said.
When completed, the bridge will run for more than half a mile across the river and have the longest main span of any cable-stayed bridge in North America.
The original cost was estimated at more than $5.5 billion, but has since risen to nearly $6.5 billion.
It is expected to open by fall 2025.