Connecting the Future: Gordie Howe International Bridge

Much like its beloved hockey-legend namesake, the Gordie Howe International Bridge project is delivering a hat trick, this time strengthening trade, improving mobility and creating new connections for people on both sides of the U.S.-Canada border between Michigan and Ontario.

When the Gordie Howe International Bridge opened to traffic on July 27, it marked a milestone decades in the making. Stretching across the Detroit River, the bridge provides a modern, high-capacity crossing at one of the most important trade gateways in North America, strengthening economic ties between the U.S. and Canada while reshaping how people and goods move between the two countries.

The public-private partnership (P3) project was led by the Windsor–Detroit Bridge Authority (WDBA), a Canadian federal Crown corporation responsible for overseeing delivery and long-term operation of the crossing.

For WSP, the opening concludes several years of work supporting the bridge’s delivery on the U.S. side, helping guide the project through its final and most complex stages.

The Detroit–Windsor corridor is the busiest land border crossing in North America. Roughly a quarter of all trade between the U.S. and Canada passes through the region, supporting manufacturing, automotive supply chains, health care systems and daily commuting between the two countries. Until now, much of that movement relied on infrastructure built nearly a century ago.

The Gordie Howe International Bridge project was designed to address that challenge. By adding redundancy to the busiest U.S.-Canada land crossing, the bridge creates a power play for trade and economic resilience.

As a second modern crossing with direct freeway-to-freeway connections, the bridge helps protect trade flows from disruption. It also improves safety and efficiency by keeping heavy truck traffic off neighborhood streets on both sides of the border.

The bridge itself is a striking piece of engineering: a six-lane, cable-stayed structure with one of the longest clear spans in North America. Designed to serve travelers and freight for generations, it connects directly to Interstate 75 (I-75) in Michigan and Highway 401 in Ontario, streamlining cross-border travel.

Beyond the main span, the project includes extensive approach infrastructure, including four new road bridges, five pedestrian bridges, four interchange ramps and the largest land port of entry on both sides of the border. Delivering all of this required close coordination among public agencies, private partners and contractors across two countries, multiple jurisdictions and different regulatory systems.

We supported delivery on the U.S. side of the Gordie Howe International Bridge project by providing construction engineering and management services for the Michigan approach roads and interchange.

Working as an owner’s representative and advisor to the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT), our firm supported oversight of the U.S.-side approach roads and interchange connecting the bridge to I-75. That work included construction engineering support for multiple new roadway bridges and pedestrian bridges in the interchange area — critical components that tie the international crossing into Detroit’s existing transportation network.

Our teams worked closely with MDOT and project partners to manage schedules, coordinate contractors and support resolution of challenges that arose on a project of this scale. The firm’s role was focused on construction engineering and management, ensuring clear lines of responsibility and accountability throughout the project.

Delivering an international crossing comes with challenges that go beyond typical infrastructure projects. Differences in standards, specifications and measurement systems require constant coordination and communication. The Gordie Howe International Bridge project also required careful sequencing of work across multiple contracts and interfaces.

The bridge was also designed with people in mind. A key feature of the Gordie Howe International Bridge is its dedicated multi-use path, creating new opportunities for people to cross the border without a motor vehicle.

On the U.S. side, the project includes five new pedestrian bridges to reconnect neighborhoods and improve local mobility — particularly in Southwest Detroit, one of the city’s most diverse communities. These features reflect years of community engagement and advocacy, ensuring the bridge delivers benefits beyond trade and trucking.

The pedestrian bridges incorporate integrated, low-profile lighting built into the structure to improve nighttime visibility and safety. An aesthetic noise wall along the west side of southbound I-75 separates freeway traffic from the adjacent residential neighborhood.

By incorporating active transportation, the project sets a new standard for how large infrastructure can support both economic activity and quality of life.

As the bridge approached opening, most construction work was complete, with final efforts focused on ancillary infrastructure and the transition of customs and inspection facilities into operation. Our involvement during this phase helped ensure the U.S.-side elements were ready to support a safe, efficient opening.

The result is a landmark crossing that is expected to serve the region for the next century and beyond — enhancing trade, improving mobility and providing new connections between communities on both sides of the border.

The opening of the Gordie Howe International Bridge is more than the debut of a new structure; it is a reminder of the coordination required to deliver infrastructure that matters. The P3 project demonstrates how complex transportation programs can strengthen economies, connect communities and prepare regions for the future.

As traffic flows across the bridge, its impact will be felt far beyond Detroit and Windsor, reinforcing the deep ties between the U.S. and Canada and setting a foundation for the next generation of cross-border infrastructure.