The Bridge is Finally Coming

One truck. Every 15 seconds. Every hour. Every day of the year. That is the volume of truck traffic that wants to travel between the US and Canada. In the time it takes you to read this blog, about eight trucks will have made the crossing.

That is why members of SEMCOG’s Executive Committee applauded when Michael Cautillo, president and CEO of the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority, recently told them that the new Gordie Howe Bridge will be built – in fact, construction has actually begun! After so many years of hearing that the bridge is coming, the fact that construction activity has already begun was encouraging news to us all. Now, what do we mean by construction activity? Here are some of the activities that are underway:

• Three consultant teams are preparing proposals to build and operate the bridge. These proposals are due later this year with actual construction scheduled to begin in late 2018.
• On the U.S. side, the primary activity right now is property acquisition and utility relocation.
• On the Canadian side, the freeway connection to highway 401 is already complete, and a sizeable soil stabilization project is also underway along with utility relocation.

Photo: Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority

While he did not commit to an opening date, Mr. Cautillo did say that once construction of the bridge actually begins, it should take about four years to complete. Once constructed, the Gordie Howe Bridge will be one of the five longest bridges in the world. It will span the Detroit River with no piers in the water.

There are several reasons the new bridge is so important. The need for redundancy, improved border processing, system connectivity, and future traffic growth are obvious. But the most dramatic reason is the importance to the current and future economic development for both the U.S. and Canada. Canada and the U.S. are the world’s largest trading partners. Over nine million U.S. jobs are supported by this trade!

This is a complicated project to say the least. With two countries, several federal agencies, a state and a province, two cities, Canadian and U.S. border security, etc. involved, each has their own set of requirements that must be addressed as part of the project. Nonetheless, it is time to get it done! Follow the continued progress of the Gordie Howe Bridge at www.wdbridge.com.