After a years-long period of planning and negotiations, the construction of the new bridge to the United States is officially underway.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau headlined a who's-who of local, provincial, state, and federal dignitaries on a west Windsor shoreline Friday, officially kicking off the building of the Gordie Howe International Bridge
The ceremony came days after the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority (WDBA) announced that the $5.7 billion cost of the new cable-based span was in place.
Trudeau, in Windsor for a series of appearances, hailed the project as the largest infrastructure-based job in North America and praised the partnership of all levels of government and business involved.
"Government and business can work together to get things done," said Trudeau. "This is a terrific day for the people of Canada."
The prime minister also said that the partnership has been working so well that the governments of both Canada and the U.S. have begun talking about moving the project forward quicker than previously announced. The bridge is scheduled to open to traffic by the fall of 2024.
"That is very much how we are focused on getting this done as quickly as we can, for the people of Detroit, Windsor, and both of our countries," said Trudeau.
With Dr. Marty Howe, son of the bridge's namesake seated nearby, Trudeau said the bridge will symbolize what the hockey legend meant to the area. The 2.5-kilometre bridge will be the longest cable-stayed span on the continent.
Trudeau and the remaining speakers were accompanied by students at the Windsor Essex Catholic District School Board's Construction Academy, who presented the prime minister with a special hard hat.
Representing the state of Michigan was Governor Rick Snyder, who made a new bridge a priority of his during his eight years in office; as well as former governor and former U.S. Ambassador to Canada James Blanchard.
For the Windsor side, all three local Members of Parliament attended the ceremony. Windsor West's Brian Masse, Windsor-Tecumseh's Cheryl Hardcastle and Essex's Tracey Ramsey joined Mayor Drew Dilkens and former mayor Eddie Francis.
The firm Bridging North America is the chief company responsible for building the bridge. Design and construction are now ongoing.
When completed, the bridge will be a link between Highway 401 and the Herb Gray Parkway on the Canadian side, and Interstate-75 on the American side.
The WDBA says the bridge will be built to last at least 125 years.
