Construction of the long-awaited new Windsor-Detroit border crossing bridge has been delayed by a year because of what the Windsor Star describes as a complex bidding process.
The expected date for completion of the Gordie Howe International Bridge will now likely be 2023, the newspaper reports.
The three consortiums vying to build the Gordie Howe International Bridge were informed within the last week by the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority their detailed bids will not be required until next year.
Final bids were to be submitted this fall and a contractor selected by the end of the year, with construction starting in the summer of 2018, according to the previous timetable. But specifications and requirements for the project have changed, delaying the selection of the contractor and start of construction.
Some of the new requirements are contained in a $55 million community benefits agreement reached earlier this year with the city of Detroit that includes job training, health monitoring and neighborhood improvements for the industrial community of Delray where the bridge will be located. Separated pedestrian and bike lanes were also recently added to the bridge design.