As completion of the Gordie Howe International Bridge nears, officials with the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority (WDBA) are taking a look back at the last full year of construction.
Construction on the $6.4 billion bridge project, that will connect Windsor, Ont. and Detroit, MI., began in 2018 and is slated to open in early 2026.
WDBA Chief Relations Officer Heather Grondin said one milestone reached in 2025 was thanks to the dedicated construction workers who have faced all sorts of weather over the years.
"This year we achieved over 15,000 people in total since we started construction have been orientated to work on the project, and collectively those 15,000 plus people have worked over 19 million hours since construction started in 2018," she said.
Originally slated to open Nov. 2024, it was pushed back to fall 2025, and delayed again most recently to early 2026.
Grondin said they are still on track for the early 2026 opening and added that work continues on testing and commissioning bridge features and workflow.
"Testing the toll booths, testing those inspection areas, ensuring that our state of the art intelligent transportation system, our traffic management centres work and work well together to deliver that efficiency that we're looking to achieve with Gordie Howe," said Grondin.
Grondin said she hopes this time next year to see people comfortable and accustomed to using the crossing.
"People saving time going through Gordie Howe, saving time going through the other crossings in the area, and really this bridge being almost a motivator for businesses to come to this area and see that Windsor-Detroit is open for business," she said.
The Canadian government is footing the bill to construct the project and will collect toll revenue to recoup the construction cost.
Grondin said toll rates will be shared with the public early in the new year.