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Canada’s infrastructure minister hinted Wednesday that construction of the long-awaited Gordie Howe International Bridge might be done ahead of schedule.
Sean Fraser, minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities, was among multiple dignitaries and guests from Canada and the U.S. who attended a ceremony celebrating the joining of the two sides of the bridge deck.
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“Right now they’re moving forward very quickly, so it could be finished early,” Fraser told reporters standing on the deck 46 metres above the Detroit River.
“It seems to be progressing. We expect it’s going to be open certainly by the anticipated date of next fall. The pace that they’re working right now, depending on conditions, creates different possibilities. But I just want to make sure that we stick to the schedule that we have agreed to. Should things fall into place, that would be a wonderful thing. But right now we’re gearing towards opening by next fall.”
After nearly six years of construction, workers put in the final pieces joining the Canadian and American sides of the 853-metre span in June.
The Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority, which oversees the project for the Government of Canada, celebrated the milestone on Wednesday with a large event on the bridge deck.
Hundreds of people including local, national, and international politicians, security personnel and U.S. and Canadian media donned steel-toed boots, hard hats, and protective eyewear, for the elevator ride to the top of the construction site.
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Among them were sons of hockey legend and bridge namesake Gordie Howe.
“It’s just so amazing,” said Murray Howe. “We loved our parents so much and Dad was just an amazing inspiration. I was in awe of him even though he was my dad. He was all about people, all about making things happen, all about making peoples’ day. And this bridge is going to make peoples’ day for decades if not centuries. So to have his name on it is such a huge honour for our family. We know that he’s looking down from heaven and he’s got a gleam in his eye for just how amazing this is.”
His older brother Marty called the moment “a gift.”
“Dad was born, obviously, in Canada,” he said. “Spent a big part of his life in the United States. So he loved both countries and I think this is just such a joy for him and for our family to be a part of it because it really helps bridge these two countries and make it even easier for us to enjoy both places as much as we can.”
Construction of the Gordie Howe International Bridge began on Oct. 5, 2018. After delays and cost increases brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, construction of the $6.4 billion bridge is expected to be finished by September 2025.
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The first vehicles will likely cross that fall.
“This project is so much more than a bridge,” said Fraser. “This represents the connection between Canada and the United States, our largest trading partner. Our most important ally.”
“But the impact is going to be extraordinary, so much bigger than Windsor and Detroit. You’re going to see the trade increase and the transportation efficiency grow significantly.”
MP Irek Kusmierczyk (L — Windsor-Tecumseh) called Wednesday’s even a “historic moment.”
“This is going to supercharge that trade between our two countries,” he said. “It’s going to supercharge the Canadian economy but it’s also going to supercharge our local economy in Windsor-Essex. We’re already seeing that with the battery plant locating here. They’re locating here because we have the best workers, because we also have these opportunities to connect to the U.S. market and global markets, and because you have a federal government that is making these historic investments.”
WDBA CEO Charl van Niekerk said that while work continues on things such as the driving surface, multi-use paths, lights, and other finishes, there likely won’t be a lot of progress noticeable to people looking up from the ground. He added that the various organizations involved in bridge operations, including customs and border protection agencies, will take a few months to outfit the new buildings after they take possession.
“The next milestone is completion,” he said.
Despite Fraser’s suggestion of an early finish, van Niekerk would not make any promises Wednesday beyond the previously stated timeline.
“I’m committing to fall,” he said.
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