It's a milestone year for the Gordie Howe International Bridge.
Crews are working on the final steps in connecting the bridge deck.
There is still a span of 26 metres/85 feet remaining before the sides connect.
The span is the same width as an official NHL rink and it's anticipated the two sides will connect by the end of June.
David Henderson, the CEO of Bridging North America says it will be a milestone when the bridge deck meets and there is a unified bridge over the Detroit River between Canada and the United States.
He says in the coming weeks crews will be aligning and measuring the final closure section.
"We have the last of the standard sections which are about 15 metres long to place on the U.S. side and then we'll be putting temporary connections and jacks through that 11 metre closure," he says. "We'll do the final adjustments, we'll actually jack the Canadian side of the bridge a little farther away."
Henderson says when the deck connects, the bridge will become an international crossing.
"For our workers who will be doing the balance of the work to complete the bridge, they'll have to go through security, our checkpoints with border control at both sides of the border and then basically when they leave the bridge or cross into the other country they have to go through the same procedures that you would with your passport or Nexus car," says Henderson.
He says there is a lot of work after the closure takes place.
"We have to stitch the joints, we have post tension the deck transversely and longitudinally and then there's an overlay, railings and lights and a lot of other features that go on the bridge afterwards," says Henderson.
Construction of the bridge started in 2018. It's expected to open in the fall of 2025.
The cost of the project first came in at roughly $5.7-billion but has since increased to $6.4-billion.
Since the start of construction, 11,000 workers have worked on the project logging about 13-million hours.
Had a chance to tour the bridge deck for the Gordie Howe International Bridge. 26 metres/85 feet remain before the two sides connect. The connection is expected to happen by the end of June. #cklw @AM800CKLW @GordieHoweBrg pic.twitter.com/VYHoMDL3yD
— Rob Hindi (@rhindi800) May 14, 2024