Pavement engineering firm The Transtec Group is part of the Bridging North America team which was awarded the Gordie Howe International Bridge public-private partnership (P3) project. Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority (WDBA) announced the selection of the team to design, build, finance, operate, and maintain the Gordie Howe International Bridge project.
Bridging North America is comprised of several distinct firms with unique skills and products. AECOM, the lead design firm, subcontracted Transtec as the pavement engineering firm in charge of designing all the pavement structures within the US and Canadian Ports of Entry (POE).
Transtec provided optimized pavement designs that met the needs of each POE. Since it is an international project, pavements within each POE were designed according to their respective jurisdiction. Transtec’s knowledge of the various pavement design methodologies used nationally and internationally provided the team with several pavement design alternatives.
The project has been cited as a once-in-a-generation undertaking and aims to ease the flow of people and goods through one of the busiest trade corridors between Canada and the United States. The Gordie Howe International Bridge will link I-75 in Detroit with Highway 401 in Windsor, Canada to deliver much-needed transportation improvements.
With improved border processing and highway-to-highway international connectivity, the Gordie Howe International Bridge will address future needs by providing six lanes for the anticipated traffic growth in the years to come. Once complete, the 1.5-mile (2.5 km) bridge will be the longest cable stayed bridge in North America.
WDBA seeks to provide a functional and practical bridge as well as an aesthetically pleasing and technologically advanced structure.
Construction is expected to be completed by 2024.
