With a flick of a switch on Nov. 23, 1981, Mayors Bert Weeks of Windsor, Ontario, and Coleman Young of Detroit adorned the Ambassador Bridge with a glowing “necklace of lights.” The project on the 7,490-foot bridge was unique. Twelve IBEW members from Windsor Local 773 and Detroit Local 58 worked together for eight weeks at heights over 400 feet above the Detroit River to link the U.S. and Canadian borders electrically and put hearts aglow in their respective cities.
The project began when Business Managers Dan Diamond of Local 58 and Doug Ryan of Local 773 met with Fred Somes from Motor City Electric, a U.S. contractor, and Gary Tucker of Tucker Electric, a Canadian contractor, in the mayor of Detroit’s office.
The first consideration was the safety of the workers, and a specially modified harness was developed to give the men freedom of movement when they need it. When working in more secure places, like near the large Ambassador Bridge sign, they clipped a 1.7-meter (six-foot) shock-absorbing lanyard from the harness to the bridge.
The first step of the project involved stringing the wiring, 16,000 feet of cable, along the bridge’s suspension system using a Sikorsky helicopter in winds of up to 28 mph. Next the electricians from the two IBEW locals had to hang and connect 180 high-pressure sodium vapor lights at 50-foot intervals. The last step involved the wiring and hanging of the lights on the towers on the east side of the bridge from swing staging suspended from the top of the bridge tower.
The Local 773 members on the project were Mark Gignac, Mike Warden, Russ Balkwill, Brent Poliquin and Walter Dick. From Local 58 were Doug Groves, Jim Charlton, Bob Roland, Jim Charlton, Caracciolo and Bob Stepanski.
Prior to the bridge lighting ceremony, the officers and crew members from Local 58 were invited to a banquet on the Canadian side hosted by Local 773, who were celebrating their 63rd anniversary.
The lighting of the Ambassador Bridge marked a special moment in the history of the IBEW. Business Diamond said it symbolized “in a very visible way, the long-standing international ties between 58 and 773.” Even more so, it symbolized the successful collaboration between two nations, now celebrating over 125 years in brotherhood. May the future of our shared union shine just as bright.
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