Gordie Howe Bridge Delayed: Here's When It's Expected To Open

DETROIT — The Gordie Howe International Bridge's opening has been delayed by nearly a year, officials announced Thursday.

The $4 billion bridge was originally planned to open in November 2024, but that has now been moved to September 2025, officials said.

Officials said "unprecedented disruptions" from the COVID-19 pandemic delayed construction because of different restrictions in the U.S. and Canada. The delays also increased the cost of the bridge by about $750 million, officials said.

"After a three-year pandemic and considering the size and complexity of the Gordie Howe International Bridge project, our project team is pleased that the impact to the construction schedule is limited to only 10 months beyond the original contracted completion date and that we could agree on a reasonable adjustment to the contract value," CEO of Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority Charl van Niekerk said.

Once the bridge is complete, crews will test the bridge before opening it to traffic, which should start sometime in the fall of 2025, officials said.

Despite the delays, construction crews did make significant progress on the bridge in 2022 and 2023, including road deck construction, stay cable installation and port of entry facilities, officials said.

Crews began working on the bridge in 2018.