Gordie Howe International Bridge

Gordie Howe International Bridge
Rendering of the bridge by Windsor–Detroit Bridge Authority
Coordinates	42°17′15″N 83°05′52″W / 42.28750°N 83.09778°W / 42.28750; -83.09778
Carries	6 lanes connecting I-75 and Highway 401 plus a bike and pedestrian lane
Crosses	Detroit River, Canada–United States border
Locale	Detroit, Michigan and Windsor, Ontario
Website	www.gordiehoweinternationalbridge.com/en
Characteristics
Design	Cable-stayed bridge
Total length	2.5 km (1.6 mi)[1]
Width	37.5 m (123 ft)[1]
Height	220 m (722 ft)[1]
Longest span	853 m (0.53 mi)[1]
Piers in water	0
Clearance below	42 m (138 ft)[1]
History
Construction start	June 2018[2]
Construction cost	CA$5.7 billion (estimated)[1]
Opening	2025 (expected)[3]
Location

The Gordie Howe International Bridge (French: Pont International Gordie-Howe), known during development as the Detroit River International Crossing and the New International Trade Crossing, is a cable-stayed international bridge across the Detroit River, currently under construction. The crossing will connect Detroit, Michigan, United States of America and Windsor, Ontario, Canada by linking Interstate 75 in Michigan with Highway 401 in Ontario (through the Rt. Hon. Herb Gray Parkway extension of Highway 401). The bridge will provide uninterrupted freeway traffic flow, as opposed to the current configuration with the nearby Ambassador Bridge that connects to city streets on the Ontario side. The bridge is named after Canadian ice hockey player Gordie Howe, whose celebrated career included 25 years with the Detroit Red Wings, and who died two years before construction began.

First proposed in the early 2000s, the project was met with prominent opposition by Ambassador Bridge owner Manuel "Matty" Moroun, who believed competition from a publicly owned bridge would reduce his revenue. A Canadian federal Crown corporation, the Windsor–Detroit Bridge Authority, was established in 2012 to coordinate the bridge's construction and management. Environmental approvals and other permits were approved in the United States and Canada in the early 2010s. Lawsuits by Moroun alleged that the crossing agreement was illegal and the Ambassador Bridge had "exclusivity rights". These lawsuits were denied, along with various attempts to stop property expropriations, allowing the project to continue.

The "Bridging North America" consortium was selected in July 2018 to design, build, operate and maintain the bridge, and construction began that month. The CA$3.8 billion cost of construction will be funded by the Canadian federal government, paid for by bridge tolls. Construction is expected to be completed in 2025.