The first official crossing along the Gordie Howe International Bridge is complete.

Two ironworkers, from either side of the border, were the first to celebrate the connection of the Gordie Howe International Bridge as the final two edge girders were put in place on June 14.

Taking part in the exchange were Casey Whitson, a second-generation American ironworker from Michigan, and a member of Iron Workers Local 25, and Jason Huggett, a second-generation Canadian ironworker from Ontario who is a member of Iron Workers Local 700.

Then shook at the point where the bridge officially became an international crossing.

Despite the milestone achievement, there’s still a great deal of work to be done over the next year to prepare the bridge for vehicle traffic.

The work to connect both sides of the bridge includes installing more structural steel and the concrete precast panels before the final slab is put in place. That part of the project is expected to be completed by the end of June.

Later tasks will focus on stressing stay cables, post-tensioning the deck, installing lighting and signage systems and paving the deck.

The bridge is expected to open in the fall of 2025, and will become the longest cable-stayed bridge span in North America.