No. H056/06For release June 23, 2006
WINDSOR — The governments of Canada and Ontario, in partnership with the City
of Windsor, today announced $357,000 in road improvements on Huron Church Road
at Industrial Drive, as part of the Let's Get Windsor-Essex Moving strategy to
improve traffic flow at Canada's busiest border crossing.
Coco Paving Inc. of Windsor, the successful low bidder on the contract, starts
construction this week and is anticipated to complete the project by mid-August
2006. The project involves lengthening the northbound left-turn lane on Huron
Church Road at Industrial Drive to reduce line-ups for U.S.-bound commercial
trucks accessing the truck pre-processing facility on Industrial Drive. These
intersection improvements will improve traffic flow on Huron Church Road and
reduce congestion related to truck queuing.
Construction will require the temporary closure of the northbound and southbound
passing lanes, reducing traffic to two lanes in both directions. Signs will be
posted to inform motorists of expected delays. Additional traffic information
will be posted on the Ontario Ministry of Transportation road information
website at
www.roadinfo.mto.gov.on.ca, through a link on the City of Windsor
website (www.cityofwindsor.ca) or by calling 311.
"An efficient Windsor-Detroit Gateway is essential to the Canadian economy,"
said the Honourable Lawrence Cannon, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and
Communities. "Today's announcement demonstrates the shared commitment among all
levels of government to reduce congestion and improve the safety and efficiency
of this important international trade corridor."
"Thousands of Ontario companies and their employees depend on the smooth flow of
goods and people through the Windsor-Detroit Gateway, and this project is just
one of the ways the McGuinty government is building a prosperous economy for
Ontario families through improved transportation infrastructure," said Ontario
Transportation Minister Donna Cansfield.
This project is jointly funded by the Governments of Canada and Ontario under
the Let's Get Windsor-Essex Moving strategy, a $300 million investment in
several short- and medium-term projects to improve traffic flow at existing
crossings and address congestion at the Windsor-Detroit Gateway. Funding for
this strategy comes from the Canada-Ontario Border Infrastructure Fund.
In addition to the Huron Church Road / Industrial Drive project, construction is
also set to begin in June 2006 on the advance utility relocation for the
road-rail grade separation on Walker Road at Grand Marais.
Recently completed projects announced as part of the Let's Get Windsor-Essex
Moving strategy include:
A pedestrian overpass on Huron Church Road at Assumption High School;
Intersection improvements on Highway 3 at Outer Drive and Walker Road;
Implementation of Intelligent Transportation Systems such as traffic cameras
to improve traffic management, video monitoring, and driver information; and
Advance work at Grand Marais and Walker Road to facilitate traffic management
during the upcoming Walker Road construction.
Several more projects will complete environmental assessment/engineering phases
in early 2007:
Highway 401 widening from east of Highway 3 to west of Manning Road;
Windsor-Detroit Tunnel Plaza Master Plan Improvements; and
Environmental assessment of a road-rail grade separation on Howard Avenue
south of Memorial Drive.
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Contacts:
Natalie Sarafian
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Transport,
Infrastructure and Communities,
Ottawa
(613) 991-0700
Neal Kelly
Office of the
Ontario Minister of
Transportation, Toronto
(416) 327-9134
Mark Butler
Communications
Transport Canada, Windsor
(519) 967-4280
Bob Nichols
Communications Branch
Ontario Ministry of Transportation, Toronto
(416) 327-1158
Transport Canada is online at www.tc.gc.ca. Subscribe to news releases and speeches at apps.tc.gc.ca/listserv/ and keep up-to-date on the latest from Transport Canada.
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