Gordie Howe International Bridge 98 per cent complete, no opening date
The Gordie Howe International Bridge is almost done but has no set opening date. CTV Windsor's Michelle Maluske explains.
The Windsor Detroit Bridge Authority (WDBA) remains tight-lipped about both a project completion date and opening day for traffic.
'As with any major construction project, at this stage, it is too early to offer a specific opening date,' Heather Grondin, WDBA Chief Relations Officer is quoted in a statement to CTV News.
'We are making progress towards our anticipated completion this year.'
In a news release from January 2024, WDBA and its builder, Bridging North America (BNA), agreed to a completion date of September 2025, 'with the first vehicles expected to travel across the bridge that fall.'
Grondin would neither confirm nor deny local media reports of a warning by S&P Global that the opening could be delayed if the port of entry buildings is not handed over to border agencies on time.
CTV News has been unable to verify the report as S&P Global has not responded to a request for comment.
A spokesperson for Canada Border Services Agency told CTV News Monday in a statement their 'handover' started 'in early 2025'.
'CBSA employees have begun to occupy the port of entry buildings,' Luke Reimer wrote.
'The CBSA will be ready to provide services at the Canadian port of entry by the opening date.'
US Customs and Border Protection deferred questions back to the WDBA.
Mayor back tracks statement
In a recent interview with the National Post, Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens is quoted about the potential opening date.
'...we've got the Gordie Howe Bridge that is winding up construction and should open officially the first week of December this year,' Dilkens told the reporter, when discussing changes to the local workforce.
Tuesday, Dilkens' Chief of Staff back tracked on the statement.
'As project timelines are ever-evolving for the (project)… the mayor's comment should be considered stale-dated, and you should continue to rely on WDBA for any confirmed dates and timelines for opening,' Christopher Menard wrote.
Menard said the interview with the newspaper was 'a couple of weeks ago'.
In Windsor, workers are on the bridge, working in the toll lanes with landscaping crews planting trees, shrubs, and grass along the edges of the project.
According to social media accounts, road construction continues with closures on I-75 in Detroit.
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