Construction on the Gordie Howe International Bridge between Windsor and Detroit has passed its 1,000-day mark.
Workers reached the milestone on Canada Day.
That's about 3-million hours of work, a significant victory for any construction project, let alone one worth $5.7-billion.
CEO of Bridging North America Michael Hatchell told BlackburnNews.com that the project lost no days because of injury.
However, the pandemic did take a toll. A total of 140 workers came down with COVID-19, although none caught it on the worksite. The cost of materials increased, and like everyone else, meetings were held online instead of face to face.
"There is no substitute for face-to-face," said Hatchell.
Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority CEO Bryce Phillips added, "We didn't plan for a pandemic, but we worked through it all."
Phillips believes it will take six months to a year to calculate the full impact of COVID-19 on the project.
The U.S. side of the Gordie Howe International Bridge after 1,000 days of construction. (Photo courtesy of the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority)
At the moment, the bridge's tower legs are about as high as an 11-storey building or 40 metres. When they are complete, they'll rival the height of the Renaissance Centre in downtown Detroit.
Hatchell said workers on each side of the span have a friendly competition to see who can get work on the Port of Entries done sooner. So far, the crew on the Canadian side is winning.
It is difficult to say when the deck of the bridge will go in. Hatchell suggested it could be the end of next year or even the beginning of 2023.
The date to open the bridge to traffic is still three years away.
