The enormous new Gordie Howe International Bridge at the Ontario-Michigan border is about to reach a much-anticipated construction milestone, one that is literally just feet from realization.

After many increasingly exciting updates, the two sides of the record-breaking bridge — constructed on opposite sides of the Detroit River in tandem by U.S. and Canadian crews — will meet in the middle, completing the structure and officially claiming the title of North America's longest cable-stayed bridge.

The project team shared yet another series of impressive photos on Friday, showing the two sides of the bridge now mere metres apart. As of the latest update, there are only 11 metres — or 36 feet — dividing the two halves of the megaproject.

👀 Great progress on the final US segment of the #GordieHoweBridge deck. While more steel and concrete needs to be placed, the gap to connect the deck is only 11m/36ft. Check out these photos. #DeckConnect pic.twitter.com/wFX2GGTkO8

— Gordie Howe International Bridge (@GordieHoweBrg) May 24, 2024

Lead designer and construction engineer, Ankur Singh, explained back in March how the final steps of the road deck and bridge connection will be carried out in the coming days.

A specially-designed component known as a "mid-span closure piece" will unite the two sides of the road deck in what is expected to be a celebratory moment for the international work crew that has been putting this new crossing together since 2018.

This long-awaited joining of the Gordie Howe International Bridge's two sections will mark the moment the project dethrones B.C.'s Port Mann Bridge as the longest cable-stayed bridge on the continent.

Its main span measuring 853 metres in length is 23 metres longer than the height of the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, the world's current tallest building.

While it will be the longest of its class on the continent, its length is still eclipsed by a handful of suspension bridges like the 1,298-metre main span of New York City's Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge, along with the 1,280-metre main span of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, and the 1,158-metre Mackinac Bridge in Michigan.

The new crossing — named for the legendary Canadian hockey player who spent the majority of his career playing in Detroit — will close a missing link in the cross-border highway network, linking Ontario's Highway 401 and Michigan's I-75.

The bridge is anticipated to open in 2025.