The latest design and construction report for the second phase of construction of the Windsor-Essex Parkway is available for a 30-day review period. The road is an 11-kilometre addition to Highway 401, connecting to the U.S. border at the Detroit River. Construction is expected to be complete by 2014. The Windsor Essex Mobility Group (WEMG) is responsible for the design, construction, financing, and maintenance of the Windsor-Essex Parkway.
The latest design and construction report for the second phase of construction of the Windsor-Essex Parkway is available for a 30-day review period.
The Windsor-Essex Parkway is an 11-kilometre addition to Highway 401, connecting to the Windsor-Detroit border. The parkway’s design consists of a six-lane below-grade freeway and a four-lane service road network which is an extension of Highway 3 to eliminate stop-and-go traffic in residential areas. The project has more than 300 acres of green space, 20 km of recreational trails, and new community connections. Major construction began in late summer 2011 and the parkway is expected to open to traffic in fall 2014.
The project includes 1.8 km of tunneled sections; extensive landscaping throughout the corridor; noise mitigation through strategic placement of tunnels, noise barriers and berms; and ecological restoration and measures to protect wildlife.
The works in Design and Construction Report #2 include full excavation, grading, and construction of the Windsor-Essex Parkway from Ojibway Parkway to 700 metres west of North Talbot Road. To reduce the amount of time spent on the project, there will be simultaneous construction in various locations throughout the project area.
The second phase of road construction includes: vegetation removal, top soil stripping and grading throughout the project area; digging of storm water management ponds to preliminary configuration and to be used to treat water from excavation work; construction of traffic diversions including granular placement and paving; excavation for new Highway 401 and Highway 3 with the priority areas being where bridges and tunnels are to be constructed; pile driving and bridge and tunnel construction; construction of roadside elements such as illumination, traffic signals, Advanced Traffic Management Systems, drainage and roadside safety elements and the placement of granulars and paving.
Four lanes of traffic will be maintained at all times within the Highway 3/Huron Church Road corridor, with isolated exceptions between midnight and 5 a.m.
Border crossing statistics from 2006 indicate about 28 per cent of Canada-United States surface trade passes through Windsor-Detroit. Studies suggest that without expanded infrastructure capacity, mounting congestion and delay would have considerable economic impacts by 2035.
The Windsor Essex Mobility Group (WEMG) is responsible for the design, construction, financing, and maintenance of the Windsor-Essex Parkway. The team includes designers, builders, financiers and operators who will complete the Windsor-Essex Parkway and operate it for 30 years. The Windsor-Essex Parkway is the first road project in Ontario to be delivered using an alternative financing and procurement model.
The Windsor-Essex Parkway has received approval from the Ontario Environmental Assessment Act approval and the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act. Work on the parkway has included: acquiring approximately 900 properties; removing 350 buildings in the corridor; partnering with local groups for community benefit, including salvaging more than 250 tonnes of building materials and over 1,500 plants and shrubs; ecological restoration; construction of two bridges and a two kilometre noise barrier; and relocating utilities and raising two hydro towers.
The review period began on Oct. 11 and runs until Nov. 10 at 3 p.m. Comments on the report can be provided by mail and/or fax and through the project website at www.weparkway.ca.
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