'They can get seriously injured': Boaters warned to steer clear of Gordie Howe Bridge construction

As construction rolls along and the bridge deck starts to creep across the Detroit River, local authorities are issuing a warning to people trying to fish or get a close up look from the water: Don’t.

With the bridge deck now 20 feet out from the Canadian and American shorelines, the harbourmaster with the Windsor Port Authority says boaters need to be aware of their surroundings and stay away.

“No vessel is permitted underneath,” said Peter Berry, the harbourmaster with the port authority, noting there’s a 150 foot exclusion zone around the shoreline construction to keep both workers and boaters of all types safe.

“The reason being that even a bolt dropped from 165 feet in the air, by the time it hits the water, is a bullet,” said Berry.

As fishing season gets underway, Berry said they’ve already had to push boaters away from construction.

“Silver bass in May and June will triple this traffic. They'll come from all over, which is wonderful for the economy and wonderful for the local fishing trade,” he said. “Not good when we're trying to build a bridge safely.”

People who don’t obey the exclusion area are subject to a $500 fine.

“People will still go under there and want to see because it's a once in a lifetime opportunity but they can get in there and be seriously injured,” Berry said.

The bridge authority and contractor Bridging North America have a marine safety team with a boat on the water daily to keep the zone safe.

“We need the vessel on the water at all times to make sure there's no dropped objects you know, identification of hazards in the water for nearby ships to notify nearby ships of any hazards and to notify them of any overhead activity that could compromise their daily routine,” said Bradley Babcock, the marine safety point person for the project in a video posted online by the bridge authority.

As the bridge deck progresses across the river over the next 18 months, that exclusion zone will expand across the Detroit River.

The bridge authority is deploying what’s called a Construction Access Traveller, or CAT system — a platform attached under the bridge deck at to prevent objects from falling into the water.

“We don't anticipate things coming off the bridge and not being caught in the catchment,” said Berry. “Things happen.”

The Port authority, along with the bridge authority coast guards and local police have been meeting regularly over the past two years developing an emergency response plan, just in case.

“A good plan could lead to a good disaster. Regardless of everything that we've done,” Berry said.