Bridging North America with the Gordie Howe International Bridge

The new Gordie Howe International Bridge is projected to provide much- needed support to this congested border hub by accelerating the flow of goods, services, and people. Administered by Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority − a Canadian Crown corporation − the $5.7-billion mega-project is expected to improve transportation and launch a significant boom in the region with the creation of thousands of jobs and economic opportunities on both sides of the border.

For Aecon and its project partners — ACS Infrastructure Canada, Dragados, and Fluor Canada — who are responsible for carrying out this monumental project under the banner “Bridging North America,” the Gordie Howe International Bridge contract leverages the full extent of the consortium’s diverse expertise in large-scale delivery, from design-build to financing, operating, and maintaining this new structure for years to come. Upon completion, the cable- stayed bridge will be 2.5 kilometres long with an 853-metre bridge span. The bridge’s twin towers will reach the height of a 73-storey building.

“This is a landmark Canadian project demonstrating Aecon’s long-standing reputation for building our nation’s landscape from the ground up,” says Aecon Concessions President Steve Nackan, whose team played a pivotal role in this Public-Private Partnership (P3) project. “It also illustrates the strength and diversity of our integrated business model and our proven expertise delivering turnkey service offerings for large-scale, complex projects, such as this one.”

Developed through a fixed-price contract, the project involves two phases: the design-build (DB) phase and the 30-year operation, maintenance, and rehabilitation (OMR) phase. The consortium reached financial close in September 2018, granting Aecon a 20 per cent interest in the equity, DB and OMR partnerships.

Construction on the bridge will span over a period of 74 months, with an estimated completion date of 2024. Early works on the project have already begun, with the Canadian side seeing the development of a four-kilometre access road, the removal of overhead lines, and preparations to protect any at-risk species in the region.

“This will be the longest cable-stayed bridge ever built in North America and the fourth largest in the world,” notes Marty Harris, Senior Vice President, Major Projects East. “We are extremely excited to participate, not only because it will elevate Aecon’s status in the construction of large-span bridges on a global scale, but we will be making a significant and positive impact on the Windsor and Detroit communities.”