Warner Serves as U.S. Counsel to Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority
Detroit, Michigan – The Gordie Howe International Bridge project has been named the 2018 Transport Deal of the Year for the Americas by Project Finance International.
Warner Norcross + Judd LLP is honored to serve as the U.S. legal advisor to the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority on the $5.7 billion CAN (estimated $4.4 billion US) agreement to design, build, finance, operate and maintain this historic project that will link the United States and Canada. Nearly 60 Warner attorneys have worked with more than a dozen governmental partners and stakeholders on the public-private partnership project for more than a decade.
The Gordie Howe International Bridge was one of more than three-dozen projects named to PFI’s Roll of Honour, the industry’s most prestigious annual award celebration. PFI is the leading source of global project finance intelligence, reporting on the lifecycle of deals, from initial rumors to post-completion analysis.
“We are delighted that PFI has chosen to recognize the Gordie Howe International Bridge as a standout transaction of 2018,” said Timothy L. Horner, project lead and chair of Warner’s Infrastructure and P3 Practice Group. “We are honored to serve as U.S. legal counsel to Canada and WDBA over these many years on this important and historic project.”
In highlighting the “scale and complexity” of the transaction, PFI noted: “Financial close for the Gordie Howe International Bridge represented a unique milestone for both Canadian and U.S. P3s…. The transaction surmounted a series of unique challenges including its bi-national component, which dictated that all codes, regulations and standards be met on both sides of the border.”
The award will be presented in London on Wednesday, Feb. 6. The complete PFI project profile can be read here.
Warner attorneys worked on all U.S. law aspects of the project, including the 2012 crossing agreement between Canada and Michigan, the 2015 U.S. federal plaza arrangement between the governments of Canada, the United States and Michigan, long-term leases between WDBA, Michigan and the U.S. government, as well as P3 procurement, governance, real estate, environmental, permitting, utility and railroad agreements, government affairs and other legal matters.
For more information on the Gordie Howe International Bridge project, visit www.wdbridge.com.
About Warner
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