07/27/2026
Today, the Gordie Howe International Bridge opened to traffic for the first time.
For the past eight years, Operating Engineers 324 members have proudly operated, maintained and repaired the heavy equipment used to build the United States side of this historic crossing. We were there for the groundbreaking—and really, long before that, during the planning—and have seen hundreds of our members spend millions of hours bringing it to life.
Our members built the ports of entry, worked on the freeways and approach roads, erected the towers and built the deck from some of the tallest tower cranes in North America. They drove steel, graded land, manned boats and performed nearly every other task needed to create this monument that will stand for generations to come.
We worked in tandem with our fellow skilled trades and, ultimately, met our Canadian brothers and sisters in the middle.
The Gordie Howe International Bridge has been a special project, a memorable project and, above all, a much-needed project. Today, we celebrate its opening and all the hard work that went into building it—from every union and every trade, on both sides of the border.
