Sandwich Community Office Officially Opens
Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority (WDBA) officially opened the doors to its Sandwich Community Office today. The office is located in a heritage building at 3201 Sandwich Street in Windsor, Ontario and provides a venue for members of the community and other stakeholders to meet with the Gordie Howe International Bridge project team, ask questions, view plans and gather project-related information.
In March 2019, WDBA opened its Southwest Detroit Community Office at 7744 West Vernor Highway in Detroit, Michigan.
WDBA has spent more than four years establishing relationships with citizens, businesses, organizations and elected officials on both sides of the border.
The community offices, along with a toll-free number for callers from Canada and the US, the project website, a dedicated email address and project social media channels, help the project team serve members of the communities and stakeholders in Windsor and Detroit, and beyond.
There has been significant work underway on the Gordie Howe International Bridge project since the official start of construction in October 2018. Of note is the essential foundational work that has been done in testing construction methods and models to position the construction team for success as they continue to move the project forward. This includes test shaft installation, bridge soffit mockup and wind tunnel testing.
“Bridging North America is a proud member of the Sandwich community and is excited to be here today to celebrate the official opening of the Sandwich Community Office. The bridge project will bring positive social and economic benefits to the area so it’s important to be in the heart of this community to engage all of the residents and businesses within it.” – Aaron Epstein, CEO, Bridging North America
Significant work continues at the sites of the Canadian and US Ports of Entry (POE), the bridge and the Michigan Interchange. In Canada, the transmission and distribution line relocations are now complete, with final connections to the existing system scheduled for the end of October. Work on the Perimeter Access Road around the Canadian POE is continuing with concrete paving to start in a few weeks. The Perimeter Access Road is scheduled for completion by December 2019.
Later this month, on the Canadian side of the project, BNA will also start additional wick drain installation throughout the POE. The wick drains are used to consolidate the soil and ensure that there is a solid base on which to build the facilities.
On the US side, 99% of the parcels required for construction have been acquired by the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) – that is, 631 of 636. Only five parcels remain, and these are on track to be acquired when needed for construction.
Considerable activity has taken place at the site of the US POE. Work includes:
- geotechnical investigation
- clearing and grubbing activities
- installation of fencing to secure the worksite
- long-term roadway closures
- construction of staging areas.
Major earthworks activity at the US POE is scheduled to commence in fall 2019. Similar to the Canadian site, wick drains will be installed along with surcharge fill placement to consolidate the soil.
Planning and scheduling for upcoming US I-75 work is also underway with demolition and reconstruction of the Springwells Street, Livernois Avenue and Clark Street bridges expected to begin in fall 2019. Additional information regarding road closures, detour routes and construction plans will be issued well in advance of work occurring.
Testing is a critical component of any large infrastructure project. Test shafts have been installed on both sides of the border. These shafts are the prototype for the production shafts which will support the two towers of the bridge. On the Canadian side, steel casings have been placed for four shafts so far. Reinforcing case assemblies for the production shafts has also commenced offsite.
On the US side, work on the seawall anchor modifications has commenced. Once the seawall anchor modifications are complete, construction of the production shafts will commence.
Testing of the bridge soffit occurred at a manufacturing facility in Quebec City, Quebec. The soffit is not just an aesthetic feature of the bridge, but also helps protect the bridge structural systems.
Wind tunnel testing of a scale model of the bridge was conducted at a testing facility in Guelph, Ontario. This testing is essential in the design of the bridge to ensure the stability of the structure.
The foundations of the Gordie Howe International Bridge are being built both literally and figuratively. Over the coming months work will continue on this one-in-a-generation project – one that will bring positive change to Windsor and Detroit.
