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This photo made last month shows ironworkers and operating engineers from Canadian and U.S. unions shaking hands at the middle of the Gordie Howe International Bridge as the last portion of the deck was completed to connect the span whose construction began in December 2022. A release from the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority noted that “27 segments were built out from each tower before crews began work on the mid-span closure, the final connecting segment that involves a complex and intricate 13-step process focused on precision and safety.” Ironworkers have also been involved in the ports of entry, installation of the bridge’s 216 stay cables and other aspects of the project.
“I said it was about time we got to shake hands after seeing each other from a distance for almost two years — it was really something special,” said Jason Huggett, a second-generation Canadian ironworker. “That handshake means a lot to my family, my two sons and my father, who helped build the twin span for the Blue Water Bridge in Sarnia.”
“We would see each other, but we were far, across the river, apart for all these months working," said second-generation U.S. ironworker Casey Whitson of Michigan. “To actually get to be able to meet each other and shake hands and say hello is really cool. It’s the biggest moment in my career and I now share something with my father, who helped build the Renaissance Center in Detroit.”
The bridge is expected to open to vehicle, pedestrian and bicycle traffic in fall 2025.
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