Big things are expected for the Gordie Howe International Bridge project in 2021.
Following years of foundation work, construction is set to begin on the more visible part of the project — the 220-metre main tower structures that will anchor the $5.7-billion bridge between Canada and the U.S.
Windsor Detroit Bridge Authority spokesperson, Mark Butler, tells CTV Windsor the project is on time and on budget despite the COVID-19 pandemic and adds it's all really starting to take shape.
"Essentially, what you have to do is build down before you build up. So the foundation work on the Canadian side is completed," says Butler. "The foundation work on the U.S. side is just about completed and now we're going to be starting building the pylons."
He says crews are ramping up construction.
"So it's going to take some time. It's a huge amount of concrete, a huge amount of girder work and it has to be done in stages."
According to Butler, this is the busiest the site has been since ground was broken in 2015.
"You'll certainly see from both sides of the border the bridge towers starting to take place over the next number of months," he says. "Towards the middle of the year or the end of the year you're going to be seeing a huge amount of activity on both sides of the border."
The new bridge is expected to be open to traffic by the end of 2024.
— With files from CTV Windsor