The Annual General Meeting of the Windsor Detroit Bridge Authority has crystalized the timelines for the project.
The theme "Momentum" was set out to indicate the project is going ahead as planned.
With an audience of around 100 people, WDBA Chair Dwight Duncan stated initial work on the Gordie Howe International Bridge will begin next summer.
He explained the selection of the winning proponent, from the 3 in the running, will be made in the spring.
After that construction begins in late June or early July and the contract will be signed in September.
But Duncan added that the exact cost of the project and specific completion date will depend on which of the consortiums is chosen.
Duncan says the 3 consortiums in the running for the multi-billion dollar bridge have begun getting staff in place and getting them security clearances.
He dismisses any suggestion the chosen consortium would back out at the last minute in September.
"They're just not going to randomly walk away from a project, they're spending millions on this project already." Duncan adds "Part of the reason this process takes so long is they have to make very detailed calculations, so I doubt we would get to that point and lose a proponent."
Chief Operating Officer Andre Juneau says the companies are not waiting until September to gear up for the project.
WDBA Chief Operating Officer Andre Juneau (by AM800's Peter Langille)
"Financial Close represents financial adjustments but the preferred proponent can get ready and will get ready to start construction as soon as possible after financial close." says Juneau "So it's not a matter of starting to hire or starting to move equipment at all they will have started that work earlier"
Duncan shot down a suggestion traffic projections don't support the need for the Gordie Howe Bridge.
He says the bridge will be in place for 100 years and if the need isn't there over that time, we'll have much bigger problems.