For five years, the Detroit and Windsor skylines have included viewd of towering twin cranes as construction has continued on the Gordie Howe International Bridge, the second Detroit-area bridge to connect the U.S. and Canada.
By the end of this week, that should no longer be the case, as the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority announced the final crane – the one on the Detroit side – will be removed from the site, multiple news outlets reported.
The crane on the Canadian side was dismantled in May.
The cranes had been there since 2020, climbing to their highest height at 797 feet earlier this year. Last year, the bridge towers reached 722 feet.
According to the bridge authority, the cranes guided rebar, concrete forms, anchor boxes and the bridge deck’s 216 cables into place throughout the construction.
The bridge over the Detroit River connects Detroit to Windsor, Ontario. When the $5.7 billion project is complete, at 150 feet above the river and 720 feet high, the bridge will be the largest Canadian/U.S. land port along the border.
The bridge authority also said the half-mile long main span of the bridge will make it the 10th-longest cable-stayed bridge in the world and the longest in North America.
While bridge authority officials haven’t confirmed when the bridge would open, officials have indicated it is expected to open this fall.
According to the authority, ongoing work as construction nears the expected September conclusion includes lighting, barriers, signage and fire impression systems installation, along with a multi-use path that will allow users to walk or ride bikes on the bridge.
