The multibillion-dollar Gordie Howe International Bridge project is a once-in-a-generation megaproject, currently being built to connect Windsor with Detroit, over the Detroit River. The bridge will deliver much-needed transportation improvements for logistics, cross-border trade and international travelers, and provide jobs and opportunities for growth in the Windsor-Essex region.
Benefits
The critical crossing will see billions of dollars’ worth of two-way trade move across the Canada-U.S. border, improved travel times, more efficient supply chains and better access to the U.S. market. The six-year construction period began in 2018, with an anticipated opening set for 2025.
The bridge is expected to grow Windsor-Essex’s current figure of $1billion in trade per day (one-third of all Canada-U.S. trade) and significantly heighten the Region’s strategic geographic advantage.
By the numbers
Learn more about the Gordie Howe International Bridge by the numbers:
- $6.4 billion contract value
- $1.9 billion in anticipated operation and maintenance costs during operation
- 84-month construction period
- 30-year operation period
- 125-year lifespan period
- 2,500 jobs created related to the bridge’s construction
- Six traffic lanes (three Canadian bound and three U.S. bound)
- One multi-use path
- 2.5 km length of bridge and 37.5 m width
- 400 anticipated commercial vehicles expected to cross the bridge every hour