Record-breaking bridge at Ontario-US border preparing to cross the finish line
Hype is building for the climactic connection between the US and Canadian sides of the new record-breaking Gordie Howe International Bridge.
The enormous megaproject spanning the Detroit River will relieve existing border crossings between Detroit and Windsor while closing a critical gap in the two countries’ highway network by linking Ontario’s Highway 401 and Michigan’s I-75.
As of early April, the bridge exists as two separate structures constructed in tandem by US and Canadian crews, though this will change in the summer with the Gordie Howe Bridge expected to cross a long-awaited milestone when the two sides meet over the river to form a complete structure.
The colossal infrastructure investment has been under construction since October 2018 and recently crossed the 2,000-day milestone of work. A new video celebrates the work carried out thus far by summarizing the immense accomplishments in the over five years since shovels hit the ground.
Two thousand days earlier, the bridge’s US and Canadian sides looked like barren post-industrial wastelands compared to the futuristic vibe the bridge has since introduced.
The latest video released by the bridge team shows how the project has progressed from its early works to the monumental engineering feat that is rapidly materializing before the public’s eyes today.
It took over 4,000 workers operating on opposite sides of the river to get to this point, but the most significant project milestone still lies ahead.
The project’s lead designer and construction engineer, Ankur Singh, explained in a March video how the road deck and bridge connection will go down.
Singh explained that “there is a custom piece, we call it a midspan closure piece, which is specifically designed, approximately 11 metres long,” that will connect the two ends of the bridge.
Once the two ends are joined, the Gordie Howe International Bridge will overtake BC’s Port Mann Bridge as the longest cable-stayed bridge in North America.
Traffic is expected to begin flowing over the bridge in 2025.
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