Detroit River Bridge to be Named for Gordie Howe
WINDSOR, ON — Prime Minister Stephen Harper on Thursday announced that the future publicly owned bridge between Windsor and Detroit will be named the Gordie Howe International Bridge.
Previously known as the New International Trade Crossing or the Detroit River International Crossing, the span is set for completion in 2020.
In making the announcement Harper was joined by Michigan Governor Rick Snyder, members of Gordie Howe’s family, and other officials.
“I am pleased to be here at this critical border crossing to announce that the future publicly-owned bridge between Windsor, Ontario, and Detroit, Michigan, will be named the Gordie Howe International Bridge,” said Harper. “Mr. Hockey, one of the greatest players in the history of the game, is a proud Canadian who led the Detroit Red Wings to four Stanley Cup victories, building extraordinary good will between our two countries. It is my sincere hope that this bridge, which bears his name, will continue this proud legacy by accelerating the flow of people, merchandise and services between our great nations for years to come.”
Gordie Howe was born in Floral, SK, and during his career was known as “Mr. Hockey”. The now 87-year old suffered a stroke in October but reportedly had a significant recovery after stem cell treatments in Mexico.
According to the Prime Minister’s office, the bridge will accelerate the flow of goods and services and provide a much needed alternative at the busiest commercial land border crossing on the Canada-U.S. border, creating thousands of jobs and opportunities on both sides of the river.
The Windsor-Detroit trade corridor handles 31% of Canada-U.S. trade carried by truck. In 2014, approximately 2.5 million trucks carrying over $100 billion in trade crossed the border here.
The bridge will feature a total of six lanes, associated border inspection plazas, and direct connections to Highway 401 in Ontario and Interstate 75 in Michigan.
The future Gordie Howe International Bridge will be undertaken as a public-private partnership to cover the cost of more than $2 billion.
More details about the bridge and Howe’s career are available from Crain’s Detroit Business.
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