Gordie Howe International Bridge Design-Build SUE and UC

The Gordie Howe International Bridge (GHIB) is a $5.7 billion design-build P3 project consisting of a 1.5-mile cable-stayed bridge and border crossing across the Detroit River and will connect Detroit, Michigan and Windsor, Ontario. It will be the longest main span of any cable-stayed bridge in North America at 0.53 miles. The project also includes a Port of Entry in each country and a new interchange with I-75 on the Detroit side. Roadway improvements consist of four new bridges and five new pedestrian bridges and local roadway modifications.

T2 Utility Engineers’ US and Canadian companies provided Subsurface Utility Engineering (SUE) and utility coordination services as part of the P3 team on both sides of the border, working with AECOM and the project owner, Windsor Detroit Bridge Authority (WDBA).

• T2ue performed more than 650 test holes and mapped approximately 375 acres of city blocks on the U.S. side for the new US Port of Entry and bridge abutment.
• The Canadian T2ue teams performed  Subsurface Utility Engineering (SUE) on 130 acres at the Canadian Port of Entry prior to and during construction. Additional investigations included 40 test holes as well as multiple GPR and MCGPR investigations along the Canadian seawall to identify subsurface anomalies around bridge footings.

T2 Utility Engineers' US team was also responsible for the utility conflict resolution with 23 utility owners and more than 1,300 conflict sites between existing facilities and the proposed design found in the US. The Canadian utility conflicts were primarily resolved prior to the Design-Build contract execution. T2ue Canada's utility coordination and SUE efforts were mainly in support of the bridge construction durin g this contract. Our SUE and Utility Coordination professionals worked seamlessly across the border with utility stakeholders, governmental and regulatory agencies, resulting in improved design plans and constructability.