There is now a price tag on the new bridge planned between Detroit and Windsor.
The Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority will pay Bridging North America $5.7 billion Canadian to design, build, and maintain the Gordie Howe International Bridge. The bridge authority released details of the financing plan at a press conference Friday morning at the St. Clair Centre for the Arts in downtown Windsor.
The fixed-priced figure is the nominal value of the contract with Bridging North America, which is responsible for major infrastructure projects on both sides of the border, including the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, the automated people mover at Los Angeles International Airport, and the New Champlain Bridge corridor in Montreal.
The contract calls for $3.8 billion to be used for the design and construction phases of the project, and the remainder of the money to be used for the operation and maintenance phase, all including financing. WDBA chairman Dwight Duncan says following the so-called P3 model, or public-private partnership will bring significant savings.
"The value-for-money assessment, completed by independent experts for our project, estimates a cost savings of almost $563 million," said Duncan.
Ground is expected to break on the third border crossing between Windsor and Detroit in just a few weeks time, and the new bridge could be open to traffic in 2024. Bridging North America has presented a 74-month construction schedule, which basically consists of design and planning, to begin with, and the actual construction stretching from this fall to the expected completion date.
The bridge, named after the late, legendary Detroit Red Wings star Gordie Howe, will be a 2.5 kilometre, six-lane, cable-stayed span that will also include a multi-use path for walkers and cyclists. The project also includes the Canadian Port of Entry in west Windsor, which will be 130 acres in total, the U.S. Point of Entry in Detroit at 167 acres, and the interchange linking the span with I-75 in southwest Detroit. The two ports of entry will be among the largest on the Canadian-US border.
Bridging North America is expecting to fill about 2,500 jobs, which will come from Canada, the US and indigenous communities. Duncan said this arrangement is significant since the project will symbolize the industrial might and strong partnership from both sides of the border.
"It will literally transform the landscape of Windsor and Detroit," said Duncan. "It will encourage new investment in the region. The relationship between Detroit and Windsor, and Canada and the U.S. is significant, and when we come together, great things happen."
The City of Windsor is holding a public celebration to mark the milestone on Saturday, October 6 from noon to 1:30 p.m. at Senator David A. Croll Park near City Hall.
For comprehensive information about the project itself, along with the associated costs, visit the official Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority website.
-With files from Adelle Loiselle.