The opening of the Gordie Howe International Bridge has been delayed to "early 2026".
Construction on the $6.4-billion bridge project, that will connect Windsor, Ont. and Detroit, MI., began in 2018 and was originally slated to open Nov. 2024.
In Jan. 2024, the opening was pushed back to this fall.
Speaking on AM800's The Shift with Patty Handysides, Heather Grondin, chief relations officer with the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority (WDBA), said construction is still on track to be completed by the end of the year.
"In terms of construction, we're at about 98 per cent complete, and we do expect to complete our construction this year. We're looking at opening in early 2026," Grondin said.
Grondin said officials realized they needed to allocate appropriate time so that everyone and everything is ready for opening day.
"So it's really taking that time to make sure we're not compromising the safety of our workers, and making sure that we're not compromising on our security features for trades or the efficiency that we've been committing to for years for the travelling public," she said.
Grondin said finishing touches include finalizing the installation of the fire suppression and electrical systems on the bridge.
"Both of ports of entry, our buildings are done, we're doing work inside. Things as granular as desk and light fixture installation. Outside we're doing paving, some landscaping, and on our I-75, just some final lane painting on the connecting ramps between the port of entry and I-75," said Grondin.
While dispelling some rumours, Grondin said officials have looked at different options at what the official opening could look like, and added that opening with just a few border lanes running would be inefficient.
"We're looking at how we can open the entire facility, but also, manage traffic and understand that people need to give us some patience in our first little bit of opening to make sure that we're working all of the bugs out that we're also testing right now," she said.
The original estimated cost to build the bridge was $5.7 billion, but delays and other factors led to the increase.
The Canadian government is footing the bill and will collect toll revenue to recoup the construction cost.