DETROIT (WXYZ) — It's one of the most anticipated projects in metro Detroit - the Gordie Howe Bridge. We've been watching its construction for years.
It was originally slated to open in 2024, then the fall of 2025. Well, it's now spring of 2026, so when can we cross freely?
Today, I'm getting the latest official update and talking to people in the surrounding community about the change they've experienced and what they're looking forward to.
The Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority held its quarterly report on the progress of the Gordie Howe Bridge, and I pressed its chief relations officer, Heather Grondin, for the information everyone wants.
When is the bridge opening?
“We receive a lot of questions asking when the bridge is going to open to traffic. We’re continuing to make progress and anticipate to open this spring.”
Okay. We are in the Spring though, we thinking like days.. weeks.. months?
“This spring.”
What are we working on right now?
“Yeah, so major construction is complete across all four components of our project. Our main focus right now is testing and commissioning. And by that I mean testing all of our systems. So while there’s built infrastructure, there’s a lot of technology that goes into this bi-national crossing. So it’s testing that technology to ensure that it works on its own, but also as part of a broader system. We’re also doing training for staff who are on the site and making sure that the processes that we’ve developed make sense. And that we can kind of do like a dress rehearsal, and seeing how what we’ve put in place will work in real-life traffic situations.”
Kimberly Earl works in the Del Ray neighborhood and is looking forward to the Gordie Howe Bridge debut.
What has she seen in this neighborhood since this bridge has been built?
“Well, they did do more construction work for us, the sidewalks, and they put in bike lanes, and the park,” Earl says. “It’s getting better. I can say that, it is.”
I also ran into Amayrani Dennis. How has she seen the neighborhood change since the bridge has gone up?
“I especially love seeing people come from Up North come down here and taking the view of what has happened. It’s beautiful to see how our community has changed throughout the years," Dennis says. “We’ve had an influx of customers coming in here, truck drivers, tourists, cyclists. This is turning out to be a cycling route, especially with the curbs and the streets being worked on.”
One of those new customers has been Phillip Saoud, who works on the Gordie Howe Bridge.
“The construction workers for sure gave this place a shot in the arm. Big increase in business, and I think they’re hoping that once the bridge opens, it’ll continue like that,” Saoud says.
He says he’s been working on the bridge "Since 2019. I’m the lead commissioning provider for the project, so we’re testing all the mechanical and electrical systems for the bridge.”
So naturally, I had to take a shot.
You might have some insight. People are wondering, ‘When’s it going to open?’ Do you have any…
“I can’t share. We actually don’t know either. They’re waiting for us to finish our testing. We’re being diligent about getting it done, but we also need to be thorough. So we don’t have a projected end date yet. So should be.. soon.”
