The Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority declared construction of the Gordie Howe International Bridge should be completed by September 2025 with the first vehicles expected to travel across the bridge that fall.
Originally, the $4.1 billion project was scheduled for completion in November 2024 with opening anticipated by the end of that year.
The project, however, experienced disruptions because of the COVID-19 global pandemic. The disruptions were even more prevalent for the Gordie Howe International Bridge project given the differing applicable restrictions in the U.S. and Canada, combined with the ramping up of construction activities in early 2020.
Like most public-private partnerships contracts, the deal between Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority (WDBA) and Bridging North America (BNA) provides for the schedule and cost impacts of certain risks to be shared.
As a result, WDBA and BNA agreed to amend the contract to include the new September 2025 construction completion date and added new measures to ensure the date is achieved. As a result the total updated overall contract value is $4.8 billion.
Recognizing that an extended construction period impacts the project host communities, WDBA has budgeted for a one-year extension of the Gordie Howe International Bridge Community Benefits Plan.
“After a three-year pandemic and considering the size and complexity of the Gordie Howe International Bridge project, our project team is pleased that the impact to the construction schedule is limited to only 10 months beyond the original contracted completion date and that we could agree on a reasonable adjustment to the contract value,” says Charl van Niekerk, CEO of the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority.
