Gordie Howe International Bridge Reaches 98 Percent Completion

The Gordie Howe International Bridge has hit 98 to 99 percent construction completion. It will open in early 2026. Workers connected the bridge deck in July 2024, and tests continue on the structure spanning the Detroit River between the United States and Canada.

The structure runs a mile and a half across the river. Six lanes of traffic will flow across it. A 12-foot-wide, toll-free path for pedestrians and cyclists will run alongside vehicle lanes.

Heather Grondin, the chief relations officer, discussed the importance of the path. "It was community-driven. When we did consultations in 2015 and 2016, one theme we heard over and over from both sides of the border was how important it was to include this path," she said, according to WXYZ 7 News Detroit.

Construction began in 2018. More than 2,500 workers from hundreds of companies on both sides of the border built it. Almost 15,000 people have worked on the project.

The towers stand nearly 720 feet tall. They mirror the curve of a hockey stick in a slap shot as a tribute to Gordie Howe. The main span will be the longest cable-stayed bridge in North America and be among the longest in the world.

A custom-designed sound wall along Jefferson Ave. features a star-shaped pattern chosen by community vote to reflect Historic Fort Wayne. The facility will have 36 U.S. inspection lanes, 16 in Canada, and new connections to I-75 and local roads.

AI technology will monitor the crossing for any slowdown, collision, or event. About 8,000 trucks and 6,000 commuters cross the Detroit-Windsor corridor each day, supporting more than 25 million U.S. jobs.