Gordie Howe International Bridge Closer To The Final Connection

Hello time traveller!!
This article is 186 days old.
The information listed below is likely outdated and has been preserved for archival purposes.

Photo: Gordie Howe International Bridge

A big step in the completion of the Gordie Howe International Bridge has been completed: all six temporary bracing pieces have been installed to hold the deck in alignment.

Several key stops remain:

• Engineers physically measure the gap again. An exact measurement ensures a perfect fit when installing the components for the mid-span closure.
• Install two structural steel edge girders. The first edge girder is bolted to the US side. Workers then use lock-up devices and temporary jacks to achieve correct alignment. Finish bolting the same edge girder to the Canadian side. The sequence is repeated for the second edge girder.
• Remove temporary closure beams and wind struts.
• Install the remaining components for the mid-span closure. This includes nine redundancy girders, two-floor beams, 12 precast panels and 12 soffit panels. Unlike
• The other segments, the mid-span closure does not require stay cable installation.
• Install concrete precast panels and complete bolting of all mid-span closure components.
• Perform a global survey on the entire structure again, re-stress stay cables as needed and stitch concrete precast panels.
• Remove the remainder of the temporary bracing (transverse cranks) and remove deck cranes.

When the final steps are completed, the bridge will be the longest span of any cable-stayed bridge in North America that is now connected.

While this completes the connection, it does not mean the bridge ready for use.

A substantial amount of work is still needed, including the re-stressing of stay cables, post-tensioning of the deck and installing electrical, fire suppression, drainage systems, barriers, signage, lighting, deck paving and pavement markings and completing the multi-use path.