Gordie Howe International Bridge

Wind engineering for a record-breaking North American bridge

The Gordie Howe International Bridge is a 2.5-kilometre cable-stayed bridge connecting Windsor, Ontario, Canada and Detroit, Michigan, USA. The 853-metre main span serves six lanes of traffic and provides a multi-use path.

The Challenge

The Gordie Howe International Bridge designers and engineers had to balance record-setting scale, an exposed site, and complex construction sequencing. As the bridge was a significant financial undertaking by the Government of Canada and an international border crossing, stakeholders were under intense scrutiny. Every aspect of this bridge’s design – and the climate in which it exists – needed to be thoroughly understood.

RWDI was contracted to provide a detailed understanding of how wind and other environmental conditions could influence the bridge’s design, construction, and operation. Our program of services addressed aerodynamic stability, structural wind loading, cable vibration, and vehicle stability, delivering the specialized analysis necessary to enable a long-span structure that was structurally-sound and operationally safe both during and post construction.

Our Approach

RWDI’s team of climate and performance engineers:

• Developed a site-specific wind climate analysis to provide appropriate wind speeds, turbulence characteristics and atmospheric inputs for the structural and aerodynamic design.
• Conducted sectional aeroelastic model testing of completed and in-construction configurations to evaluate the potential for aerodynamic phenomena like vortex shedding, galloping, and flutter.
• Performed buffeting analyses to characterize the structural response to turbulent wind.
• Assessed cable vibration mechanisms to inform damping requirements for the stay-cable system.
• Assessed the wind shielding and vehicle stability conditions to help inform traffic management strategies and mitigation measures.

The Outcome

RWDI’s integrated wind-engineering program gave confidence to the project team in the areas of aerodynamics, structural loads, construction planning, cable protection, and operational risk management. By applying physical testing, analytical modeling, and climate analysis to the project, through Tender and Final Design, the design team could make better-informed decisions, and the bridge authority could better assess and manage risks.

The bridge opened to the public in July 2026 and became the longest cable-stayed bridge in North America.