Dazzling display of 5,000 lights planned for record-breaking $6.4 billion Ontario bridge

A legendary Canadian artist has signed on to design what will surely be a stunning visual accent to the already impressive record-breaking international gateway set to link Ontario and Michigan in 2025.

The Gordie Howe International Bridge project team announced on Thursday that acclaimed Canadian artist and novelist Douglas Coupland has been commissioned to develop a lighting installation for the $6.4 billion crossing between Windsor and Detroit.

Coupland’s upcoming work marks the largest, third, and final public art commission planned as part of the enormous international undertaking to close a gap between Highway 401 and Michigan’s I-95.

The still under-wraps installation promises to add an iconic after-dark presence to the Gordie Howe Bridge.

According to bridge officials, Coupland’s installation will adorn the massive structure  — now officially the longest cable-stayed bridge span in North America — with a dazzling display of almost 5,000 white lights that define the bridge towers, road deck edges and cables with a mix of “dynamic and static movement.”

Though visuals of the lighting concept will not be unveiled to the public until next year, Coupland has received acclaim for a similar large-scale lighting installation known as Northern Lights, an Aurora Borealis-inspired display consisting of thousands of multicolour LED lights adorning the Telus Sky office tower in Calgary.

Coupland spoke highly of the massive structure, saying, “I can’t imagine a more stunning canvas than this bridge, a masterwork of globally recognized architect Erik Behrens.”

“Its scope and ambition have been fully realized without compromise, and for me to use lighting to further bring it to life is both an honour, and a profound responsibility,” said Coupland, adding that he hopes the completed bridge “will appear as though it is alive and makes viewers proud of the close relationship these two countries share.” 

David Henderson, CEO of Bridging North America — the private sector design partner working on the new crossing — voiced his excitement about Coupland’s involvement, saying that the company “can’t wait to see what he designs for this project”  and hailing his “extensive experience in visual arts and previous lighting commissions.”

Charl van Niekerk, CEO of the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority, notes the importance of the international connection is more than just a practical link between two major trucking corridors, calling it “a symbol of an enduring friendship and shared environment for Windsor-Detroit, Ontario-Michigan and Canada-U.S.”

“The Aesthetic Bridge Lighting commission will pay homage to the special relationship that exists at the Windsor-Detroit gateway,” said Niekerk.

Members of the public will be able to learn more about Coupland’s vision for the instantly iconic bridge firsthand at an upcoming registration-only meet-the-artist community meeting to be held at Art Windsor-Essex in Windsor on November 14 from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m.