Gordie Howe International Bridge

By Aaron on January 30, 2025 in Projects

The Gordie Howe International Bridge is a major infrastructure project connecting Detroit, Michigan, and Windsor, Ontario, across the Detroit River. Canada and United States have such a close and important relationship that for many folks, the bridge is more than just a new border crossing, it represents our friendship. Naming this critical trade-route bridge after Gordie Howe was a stroke of genius, as it evokes tremendous pride in our team work and our competition, from both sides of the river.

Trading card photo of Gordie Howe as a member of the Detroit Red Wings. These cards were printed on the backs of Chex cereal boxes in the US and Canada from 1963 to 1965.

Gordie Howe (March 31, 1928 – June 10, 2016) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player. From 1946 to 1980, he played 26 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) and six seasons in the World Hockey Association (WHA); his first 25 seasons were spent with the Detroit Red Wings. Nicknamed “Mr. Hockey“, Howe is often considered the most complete player ever to play the game and one of the greatest of all time. At his retirement, his 801 goals, 1,049 assists, and 1,850 total points were all NHL records that stood until they were broken by Wayne Gretzky, who himself has been a major champion of Howe’s legacy. A 23-time NHL All-Star, he shares the NHL record for seasons played with Chris Chelios, and his all-time NHL games played record of 1,767 was only surpassed in 2021 by Patrick Marleau. In 2017, Howe was named one of the “100 Greatest NHL Players“.

Detroit and Windsor reminds us how close we are, let’s make more bridges and build more championship teams. Canada and United States are natural strategic partners and both are better together.

Gordie Howe International Bridge key details:

Project Overview

A cable-stayed international bridge with six lanes for automotive traffic and a bicycle/walking path
Longest cable-stayed bridge in North America, with a main span of 853 m (2,800 ft) and total length of 2.5 km (1.6 mi)
Bridge towers stand 220 m (722 ft) tall on opposite banks of the Detroit River

Construction and Funding

Construction began in July 2018 by the “Bridging North America” consortium
Total construction cost estimated at CA$3.8 billion, funded by the Canadian federal government through bridge tolls
Expected completion date is 2025

Purpose and Significance

Will connect Interstate 75 in Michigan with Highway 401 in Ontario
Designed to improve cross-border traffic flow, with expected daily traffic increasing from 18,500 vehicles in 2016 to 26,500 by 2025
Provides an alternative to the existing Ambassador Bridge

Naming

Named after Canadian ice hockey player Gordie Howe, who played 25 years with the Detroit Red Wings
Officially named on May 14, 2015, with Howe’s approval before his death in 2016

Ports of Entry

U.S. side: 68-hectare (170-acre) port with border inspection facilities
Canadian side: 53-hectare (130-acre) port with border inspection, toll collection, and maintenance facilities

The bridge is being developed by the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority (WDBA), a Canadian Crown corporation, and is expected to significantly improve cross-border transportation infrastructure.

Citations:
[1] https://www.gordiehoweinternationalbridge.com/en
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gordie_Howe_International_Bridge
[3] https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/ipd/project_profiles/mi_gordie_howe_int_bridge.aspx
[4] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTcGeuVduts
[5] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFXcZmD04qE
[6] https://www.aecon.com/our-projects/current/gordie-howe-international-bridge

Bridge Key Details (above) from Perplexity: pplx.ai/share