The two sides of the Gordie Howe International Bridge have been temporarily connected as work continues ahead of the bridge's fall 2025 opening.
Temporary bracing beams are in place to ensure the alignment of the bridge, said David Henderson Bridging North America CEO, to CBC News.
"This is one of the most visible milestones in the project," Henderson said. "We already have temporary beams connected to the two sides of the bridge to help us with our final alignment.
"Midweek we'll actually complete the installation of it with the closure section...and then of course following that there will be the precast panels and the balance of the construction."
The distance between the two sides is 36 feet. But the lifting of the beam into place was enough that workers were able to walk and shake hands on one of the beams, as captured on the CBC Windsor tower camera.
"We actually have two ports of entry. They're not nearly as large as the permanent ones, of course, but our team that's working on the bridge and that international zone has to go through the checkpoints with the same documents just like you and I would," he said.
But even with the bridge nearing closure, Henderson says there's still plenty of work to go before the public will be able to use the crossing.
"We had no doubt from our team standpoint that everything would match up in the middle ... It's been a long time coming and we look forward to the completion in the coming year."
"It's always been important to us to not just build the beautiful piece of infrastructure behind us, but to also recognize the impacts of this project on the community and have a plan, have an approach that can directly respond to community need," said Heather Grondin, the CRO of the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority, to CBC News.
Source: CBC News, MSN.com
