The Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority (WDBA) has received a total of six statements of qualification from companies that responded to the request for qualifications (RFQ) for the Gordie Howe International Bridge public private partnership (P3) project.

The WDBA, which is a not-for-profit Canadian Crown corporation, will manage the procurement process for the design, construction, operation and maintenance of the new bridge between Windsor, Ontario (Canada) and Detroit, Michigan (USA) through a P3.

The WDBA is also responsible for project oversight and will set and collect all tolls. WDBA has reported in a statement:

Following the posting of the RFQ on July 20, 2015, teams made up of Canadian, American and international companies have participated in the rigorous RFQ process. Six different North American and international teams responded to the WDBA's RFQ.

Next steps in procurement process to select a private-sector proponent partner include an evaluation of the RFQ responses by a team comprised of WDBA officials, partner organizations and experts overseen by an independent fairness monitor. The three highest scoring qualified respondents will be invited to participate in the Request for Proposals, which will be released by the end of this calendar year.

The names of the teams and companies forming these teams were not revealed.

The project involves the development of a bridge and border crossing to be constructed across the Detroit River. The bridge will connect Detroit and Windsor by linking Interstate 75 and Interstate 94 in Michigan with the new Rt. Hon. Herb Gray Parkway connection to Highway 401 in Ontario. There are the four components of the Gordie Howe International Bridge project - the Canadian port of entry, the bridge, the US port of entry and the interchange to I-75.

With traffic crossing the border anticipated to grow from 18,500 vehicles a day in 2016 to 26,500 by 2025, the bridge will address four key regional transportation and mobility needs:

• provide new border crossing capacity to meet increased long-term travel demand
• improve system connectivity to enhance the continuous flow of people and goods
• improve operations and processing capabilities at the border
• provide reasonable and secure crossing options (i.e. network redundancy).

Mark McQueen, Chairman of the WDBA Board of Directors, stated:

"The private sector has shown a vibrant interest in working on the Gordie Howe International Bridge project, between this RFP, the responses we received to our recent RFP for early works, as well as the recently-held Industry Days. Although site preparation has already begun for the eventual construction of the new Canadian Customs plaza, businesses and travelers on both sides of the border understand that the completion of the new bridge is dependent upon the successful conclusion of the pending RFP process."

Michael Cautillo, President and Chief Executive Officer for the WDBA, commented:

"Friday, October 9, 2015, marked the response submission deadline for the Request for Qualifications - part of the first stage in a two-part procurement process. We are very pleased to have reached yet another significant milestone in the delivery of the Gordie Howe International Bridge."