Gordie Howe bridge overseer picks new CEO, plans to start construction this fall

OTTAWA—Official construction on the new bridge connecting Windsor, Ont. and Detroit, Mich. is set to begin this fall, according to the crown corporation responsible for the project.

The Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority (WDBA) said work on advanced construction across the U.S. border will get underway this summer, while the official start of work will commence later this year.

Ahead of the groundbreaking, the arms-length government entity has appointed a new CEO to head the project.

The WDBA tapped Windsor native Bryce Phillips for the role, replacing interim CEO André Juneau. Juneau himself took over for the authority’s original chief, Michael Cautillo, who resigned last December after a lengthy absence blamed on “personal matters.”

Phillips has 35 years of management experience in a number of roles, including several key leadership positions at the Darlington Nuclear Generating Station. He holds a bachelor of mechanical engineering from the University of Windsor and most recently served as vice-president of Kinectrics, a company that provides life cycle management services within the electrical industry.

With construction expected to get underway shortly, the authority is expected to release which of three shortlisted construction consortia will be responsible for building the Gordie Howe bridge in the coming weeks.