Bidders issued RFP for $2bn Windsor-Detroit bridge PPP

The organisation managing the development of a bridge connecting Windsor in the Canadian province of Ontario and Detroit in the US state of Michigan has issued a Request for Proposals to qualified bidders.

The Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority (WDBA), a Canadian organisation managing the construction of the Gordie Howe International Bridge, has invited three groups of financiers and developers chosen last July to submit their proposals.

The project, estimated in 2010 to cost $2 billion, is a six-lane bridge connecting Interstate 75 and Highway 401, Detroit's Delray neighborhood and Windsor's Brighton Beach, the busiest trade corridor between Canada and the US, WDBA said.

“A new border transportation system for the Windsor-Detroit gateway will make it faster, simpler and safer for both people to travel and goods to flow between Canada and the United States, enhancing trade and tourism,” said Dwight Duncan, interim chair of WDBA's board of directors.

The consortia include Legacy Link Partners, a SNC Lavalin Capital-led group; Bridging Infrastructure Canada, led by ACS Infrastructure Canada; and CanAm Gateway Partners, led by Fengate Capital Management.

Michael Cautillo, WDBA's chief executive, said the RFP is “the single most important document” the organisation will deliver.

The RFP requires the bidders to submit binding technical and financial plans, including a fixed price and schedule, to develop the project.