Material supply, strikes, COVID-19 drive potential delays on Gordie Howe bridge: construction association

A Windsor, Ont., construction association that represents Gordie Howe International Bridge contractors isn't surprised that supply chain issues and labour woes could push back the date for completion of the international crossing.

Jim Lyons, executive director of the Windsor Construction Association, said many projects in the region are playing catch-up due to the pandemic.

"Since things have opened up, there's just so much volume out there we're trying to catch up to, as are all the material suppliers, so it's been really challenging to get all the materials in a timely manner to run any job, let alone that big bridge job," Lyons said.

Lyons added that steel and concrete are the two big materials they're waiting on. Strikes in the industrial commercial institutional sector could have also played a role in slightly delaying the bridge, he said.

The Gordie Howe International Bridge is a bilateral effort to ease bottlenecks at the single-busiest trade corridor across the Canada-U.S. border between Windsor and Detroit.Construction began October 2018 more than 20 years after the idea was first proposed.

According to reporting by theWindsor Star, an analyst report by S&P Global saysthe end-of-2024 expected opening of the bridgecould be pushedto April 2025.

In an emailed statement to CBC News, the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority said it is still working towardhaving the bridge open to traffic by the contracted date ofthe end of 2024.

"The contractor (Bridging North America) is obligated to meet the contract date specified in the Project Agreement and make adjustments to their construction approach to manage any delays they encounter," the statement reads.

But it said that given how large of a project it is, challenges could come up that could impact the schedule.

"The pandemic is one example of a challenge, and it, among other issues, may lead to adjustments in schedule," it said, adding it is "actively assessing the potential impacts of the pandemic on the project schedule."

Tom Coke, a member of the Sandwich Towne Business Improvement Association, said he hasn't heard any complaints from businesses in the area over the potential delay.

"If the past couple of years have taught us anything, it'swe need to be as adaptable as possible, and when you have something that's as important as that second span come in currently at the business level, I have had no concerns or no issues raised for any of the BIA businesses about a six-month delay," Coke said.

Lyons said it's unclear whether the government will hold the contractor to certain penalties they could face if they can't meet the scheduled finish date. He said it's uncertain, considering the cause for any delay would beout of their control.

"Hopefully they'll be able to work out and make up some of those differences, and if not, then they cut the ribbon a little later in the day. It's not going to make or break I don't think the economy," he said.

Despite the delay in materials, Lyons said workers on site are still busy.

"It'll get done.It might take a little longer as they said, but at the end of the day, they'll do their best to get it on time."