New bridge connecting Detroit to Canada won't open until fall 2025

The freighter Manitowoc makes its way down the Detroit River past continuing construction on the Gordie Howe International Bridge, Canadian span, in Detroit on Dec. 29, 2023. The second bridge connecting Detroit and Canada over the Detroit River won't open for travel until fall 2025, months later than anticipated, officials said Thursday, Jan. 4, 2024. (Daniel Mears /Detroit News via AP)

DETROIT -

A second bridge connecting Detroit and Canada over the Detroit River won't open for travel until fall 2025, months later than anticipated, officials said Thursday.

Officials cited construction disruptions in the U.S. and Canada related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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The Gordie Howe International Bridge, named for a Canadian who played hockey for the NHL's Detroit Red Wings, began in 2018 and was last scheduled to be completed in 2024.

The target now is September 2025, though the bridge deck should be finished this year.

"Our project team is pleased that the impact to the construction schedule is limited to only 10 months beyond the original contracted completion date," said Charl van Niekerk, chief executive of the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority.

The project carries a price tag of CA$6.4 billion (US$4.79 billion), up from CA$5.7 billion (US$4.27 billion).

The Howe bridge will join the privately owned Ambassador Bridge as the second span connecting Detroit and Windsor, Ontario.

The Ambassador Bridge is considered the busiest U.S.-Canadian border crossing, carrying 25% of all trade between the two countries. It plays an especially important role in auto manufacturing.