Along with serving as a replacement for the privately owned Ambassador Bridge, the new span will aid in congestion relief. The Howe bridge connects directly to Highway 401 in Ontario and Interstate 75 in Michigan. The two multilane highways — at times as large as 18 lanes near Toronto — are a vital artery for the automobile sector in both nations, connecting supplies to automakers. However, the nearly century-old Ambassador suspension bridge is not completely connected to the Canadian side’s divided highway.
“[The new bridge] improves trip repeatability and, more significantly, predictability, which is critical in today’s commercial context, when just-in-time delivery is at the heart of everyone’s decision-making,” Grondin explained.
Dedicated to opening in 2024
Around 2,500 workers are now employed on the bridge’s four key components, which include ports of entry in Canada and the United States, the junction with I-75 in Michigan, and the 1.5-mile bridge itself. After nearly three and a half years of building, the bridge’s two main support piers have reached a height of 430 feet, roughly three-fifths of their full 722-foot height.
“We’re still on track to meet our contracted opening date of the end of 2024,” Grondin added, “bearing in mind that when we set that date, there was no pandemic.”
The WDBA does not have forecasts for how much traffic the Howe Bridge will divert from the Ambassador Bridge and other crossings. Grondin anticipates that a sizable proportion of business and passenger cars will use the new route once the bridge opens.
Tolls will be charged to both truck traffic and passenger vehicles crossing the Howe bridge, but the tariffs have not been established. The WDBA intends to price the toll competitively with existing regional crossings.
“We absolutely require additional trade infrastructure,” Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers Association President Brian Kingston recently stated on an episode of the Automotive News Canada Podcast. “The Gordie Howe Bridge, which is planned to open in 2024, will be a great boon to not only the automotive sector, but to commerce in general.”