A partnership of Fluor and ACS Infrastructure has been chosen to design, build, finance, operate and maintain the Gordie Howe International Bridge project.
The client, Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority (WDBA), announced the appointment of Bridging North America group in the Canadian city of Windsor, across the Detroit River from Detroit in the US state of Michigan.
The Gordie Howe International Bridge will connect the two cities by linking Interstate 75 and Interstate 96 in Michigan with the new extension of Highway 401 – aka the Herb Gray Parkway – in Ontario. Gray was a Windsor-born federal Canadian politician and deputy prime minister.
Fluor Canada and ACS Infrastructure Canada led the development phase of the project and will hold the prime contract.
Oher firms in Bridging North America include Dragados Canada, AECOM, brokerage services provider RBC Dominion Securities, Spanish engineering consultancy Carlos Fernandez Casado and FHECOR, architects Moriyama and Teshima and also architects Smith-Miller+Hawkinson.
The Gordie Howe Bridge will be the longest cable-stayed bridge in North America, according to the companies. Work will include building ports of entry on both the US and Canadian side of the river as well as improvements to existing infrastructure. Fluor and ACS will operate and maintain the facility for 30 years to standards set by WDBA.
This is the second project in the Windsor-Detroit area where Fluor and ACS have partnered. The two companies recently delivered and are operating and maintaining the Herb Gray Parkway that will connect directly to the new bridge that is named after a Canadian ice hockey player. Howe was with the Detroit team Red Wings in North America’s National Hockey League for many years, leading them to several victories.
Terence Easton, president of Fluor’s infrastructure business, called the appointment a “once-in-a-generation project” and said financial close will likely be later this year.
More information on the bridge is available on the WDBA website.
