The Gordie Howe International bridge linking U.S. and Canada came closer to completion after the final piece of the deck connecting the two halves was fitted.
The bridge will be the longest cable stayed bridge in North America, according to Aecon, the Canadian Canadian firm involved in construction efforts for the project.
The bridge cost around $4.68 billion to erect, according to a report from Newsweek.
"Building the bridge deck segment by segment is a marathon of construction cycles and is very intensive," said Jaime Castro-Maier, lead engineer for Aecon and the Canadian bridge deck construction team, in a statement to Newsweek.
"At the final point, we were within a few millimeters of where we were expecting to be. If you look at the magnitude of this construction site and the size of the bridge deck – to talk about millimeters was very rewarding," said Castro-Maier.
Construction of the bridge deck started in December 2022, with work progressing from both banks of the Detroit River. Over the past few months, the two sections of the bridge have been gradually moving closer together.
By the end of May, all the concrete slabs for both the Canadian and U.S. sides were in place, leaving just a 36-foot gap to finish the bridge deck.
To complete the connection, ironworkers and engineers installed the mid-span closure, a custom-built segment that took about four to six weeks to finalize, according to a report from the Detroit Free Press.
With the bridge deck connected, there's still more work ahead. The project team is focusing on tasks such as re-stressing the stay cables, post-tensioning the deck, and installing electrical systems, fire suppression and drainage systems, according to Newsweek.
Other work includes adding road barriers, signage, lighting, deck paving, and completing the pedestrian and bicycle path.
The bridge is currently set for completion in 2025.
Source: Newsweek, The Detroit Free Press
