U.S. tower of the Gordie Howe bridge is now its full height, looming over the Detroit River
CBC News | Posted: August 30, 2023 3:50 PM | Last Updated: August 30, 2023
When the Canadian tower is done in September, it'll be the tallest structure in Windsor
The tower on the American side of the Gordie Howe International Bridge has reached its full height — taller than the largest pyramid in Egypt, and nearly half the height of the CN Tower.
The Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority (WDBA) said today that the U.S. tower has reached its completed height of 220 metres (722 feet).
Crews have done the last concrete pour for the sloped architectural heads at the top of the pylon head, the authority said. And "crews will now begin removing the jump form system which includes artwork by local Detroit-based artist Roberto Villalobos."
In September, the authority says, they'll do the same on the Canadian bridge tower. When that happens, the Canadian bridge tower will be the tallest structure in Windsor.
The U.S. tower is a scant eight metres shorter than Detroit's tallest building, which is the 73-storey centre tower of the GM Renaissance Centre.
The bridge towers are "integral to the cable-stayed design of the bridge," the authority said in a media release.
"They house the anchor boxes that attach the stay cables from the towers to the bridge and road decks. Along with the stay cables, the towers provide the support system for the entire weight of the bridge and the load it will eventually carry."
Bridge officials are targeting a late 2024 opening for the new international crossing. The bridge has been under construction since 2019.
Heather Grondin, spokesperson for the authority, says the Canadian and American crews have been challenging each other.
"There has been a friendly competition between the U.S. and Canadian tower teams to see which tower would be completed first while meeting all construction and safety requirements," she said in an email.