RC122 JanFeb 2026 - Magazine - Page 17
WENTY-FIVE YEARS in the making. Seven years of construction,
and, at its peak, 2,500 workers on-site. Costing $6.4 billion and
stretching 2.5 kilometres—the longest cable-stayed bridge in
North America, rising 46 metres above the Detroit River—the
Gordie Howe International Bridge is much more than these
impressive numbers.
“The Gordie Howe International Bridge is a symbol of the friendship between Michigan and Canada and a testament to what’s
possible when we work together,” said Michigan Governor Gretchen
Whitmer when the bridge deck was completed last July.
2024 marked the 昀椀rst full year of normal international bridge
operations across Ontario following the COVID-19 pandemic, due to
varying degrees of border restrictions for safety reasons from March
2020 to May 2023. According to the Bridge and Tunnel Operators Association, tra昀케c at all border crossings in the province is down since
the start of the pandemic, but the association also revealed that the
slow decline began in 2000, long before COVID-19 entered the lexicon.
From 2023 to 2024, truck crossings decreased slightly, by 0.95 per cent.
Despite these declines and the current Canada-U.S. Trade War, this
bridge is a harbinger of repairing these recent political tensions. The
Gordie Howe International Bridge is a long-term solution to ease capacity at North America’s busiest border
BY THE NUMBERS
crossing. It also represents a signi昀椀cant economic, social
and environmental investment in the region.
6 lanes Three Canadian-bound, three U.S.-bound
“This is a 125-year design bridge,” says Charl van
2.5 kms Total length
Niekerk, chief executive o昀케cer of the Windsor-Detroit
853 metres Clear span
Bridge Authority (WDBA). “It’s going to be around long
16 toll lanes
after we’re all gone and long after we’ve forgotten about
24 primary inspection lanes on Canadian side
the current cross-border trade issues.”
36 primary inspection lanes on U.S. side
Get van Niekerk talking about the Gordie Howe International
Bridge, expected to open to tra昀케c in early 2026,
167 acres Total area of U.S. Port of Entry
and it’s hard to stop him. The executive’s passion for this
130 acres Total area of Canadian Port of Entry
project is palpable; he is not the only one excited about
125 years Lifespan of bridge
the opening of this once-in-a-generation infrastructure
2,500 jobs created
megaproject. Members of the Canadian Building Trades
Union (CBTU) were integral to building this remarkable
216 stay cables
engineering feat, and they proudly proclaim on their
Each stay cable has between 38 and 122 rope-like
website that, “The Gordie Howe bridge will save truck
metal strands. Laid end-to-end, the strands would
drivers nearly 850,000 hours per year in wait times, verstretch from Windsor to Alaska.
sus waiting at the Ambassador Bridge.”
T
The Gordie Howe bridge will save truck drivers
nearly 850,000 hours per year in wait times,
versus waiting at the Ambassador Bridge.
WDBA
David McPherson based in Waterloo, Ont., is the author of
The Legendary Horseshoe Tavern, Massey Hall, and
101 Fascinating Canadian Music Facts.
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JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2026 – RENEW CANADA 17
