No. H 168/07
For release September 6, 2007
WINDSOR — The Honourable Lawrence Cannon, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, along with Donna Cansfield, Ontario Minister of Transportation, today announced the start of construction on phase four of a five-phase project to widen Highway 401 near Windsor. Together, the five phases will widen 46 kilometres of Highway 401 to six lanes from Windsor easterly to Tilbury, in Essex County.
"This multi-phase project demonstrates the commitment of Canada's New Government to growing the national economy, and improving the environment through the reduction of congestion along this busy stretch of Highway 401, which leads to one of Canada's most important commercial border crossings," said Minister Cannon. "It is also an example of governments working together to improve the infrastructure that makes up Canada's trade corridors and gateways."
"The McGuinty government has delivered record investments to improve Ontario's highways," said Minister Cansfield. "This section of Highway 401 is the gateway to our border, and by widening the highway we are keeping people and goods moving and our economy strong."
This latest phase of construction will include the widening of Highway 401 from four to six lanes between Highway 3 and Manning Road (Essex County Road 19); the replacement of the Dougall Parkway, Walker Road, Provincial Road and railway bridges; the rehabilitation of five underpass structures; the installation of a concrete median barrier, drainage system, paved median and shoulders to enhance safety; and the upgrade of high mast lighting.
The Government of Canada and the Province of Ontario are investing a combined total of $325 million to improve the 46 kilometres of Highway 401 between Windsor and Tilbury. The first and second phases of this project are now complete and the third phase of construction is expected to be complete later this fall.
Phase one of the Highway 401 Windsor to Tilbury project was completed in December 2005, and involved widening and improving Highway 401 between Essex Road 42 and Highway 77. Drivers have already benefited from improved safety and traffic flow on this important stretch of highway with the additional lanes, a concrete median barrier and improved signage.
The second phase of this project, which included improvements to Highway 401 from Puce Road to Manning Road, was completed in November 2006. This phase included widening Highway 401 from four to six lanes, improving both Manning Road and Puce Road interchanges to increase safety and traffic flow, and installing a concrete median barrier to enhance safety.
Construction of the third phase began in spring 2006, and is expected to be complete by late fall 2007. It involves improvements between Highway 77 and Essex Road 27, such as widening Highway 401 from four to six lanes; installing a concrete median barrier; replacing the St. Joachim Road (French Line Road) bridge and rehabilitating and widening the Ruscom River bridge; rehabilitating two underpass structures; and upgrading the Windsor South truck inspection station.
The first three phases of this project are funded by the Government of Canada and the Province of Ontario under the Strategic Highway Infrastructure Program. Under the program, both governments are investing more than $490 million in highway improvement projects across the province.
Through the Border Infrastructure Fund, the federal and provincial governments are undertaking the construction of the fourth section of Highway 401, from Highway 3 to Manning Road, as part of the Let's Get Windsor-Essex Moving strategy.
A backgrounder on the improvements to Highway 401 in Essex County is attached.
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Contacts:
Natalie Sarafian
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Transport,
Infrastructure and Communities, Ottawa
613-991-0700
Jamie Rilett
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 www.tc.gc.ca/listserv/ and keep up-to-date on the latest from Transport Canada.
This news release may be made available in alternative formats for persons with visual disabilities.
BACKGROUNDER
CANADA AND ONTARIO MAKING IMPROVEMENTS TO HIGHWAY 401 IN ESSEX COUNTY
Highway 401 Widening from Windsor to Tilbury
The Government of Canada and the Province of Ontario are investing more than $325 million to widen Highway 401. The work involves five phases:
Phase One – Essex Road 42 to Highway 77
With an investment of $62 million, construction of this section of Highway 401 has been completed and improvements include:
widening Highway 401 from four to six lanes to reduce congestion;
installing a concrete median barrier to enhance safety; and
improving the Essex Road 42 and Highway 77 interchanges including commuter parking lots, new lighting and turning lanes on both Highway 77 and Essex Road 42.
Phase Two – Manning Road to Puce Road
With an investment of $52 million for improvements to this section of the highway, construction has been completed. Improvements include:
widening Highway 401 from four to six lanes to reduce congestion;
installing a concrete median barrier to enhance safety;
improving the Manning Road and Puce Road interchanges to increase safety and traffic flow;
adding a new service road and commuter parking lot at the Manning Road interchange; and
six structure rehabilitations, two structure replacements and one interchange improvement.
Phase Three – Highway 77 to Essex Road 27
With an investment of more than $61 million, work has begun and is expected to be complete in late fall 2007. Improvements include:
widening Highway 401 from four to six lanes to reduce congestion;
installing a concrete median barrier to enhance safety;
replacing the St. Joachim Road (French Line Road) bridge, rebuilding the ramps and adding lighting at the interchange;
rehabilitating and widening the Ruscom River bridge;
rehabilitating two underpass structures; and
upgrading the Windsor South truck inspection station to a commercial vehicle inspection facility.
Phase Four – Highway 3 to Manning Road
With an investment of more than $100 million, work is beginning and is expected to be complete in 2010. Improvements include:
widening Highway 401 from four to six lanes to reduce congestion;
installing a concrete median barrier to enhance safety;
replacing the Dougall Parkway, Walker Road, Provincial Road and railway bridges;
rehabilitating five underpass structures; and
upgrading high mast lighting.
Phase Five – Puce Road to Essex Road 27
Detailed design is underway to allow for work to be tendered in spring 2008.
Improvements will include:
widening Highway 401 from four to six lanes to reduce congestion;
installing a concrete median barrier to enhance safety;
improving and widening the Belle River Road interchange bridge;
rebuilding the ramps and adding lighting at the Belle River Road interchange; and
building a new commuter parking lot at the Belle River Road interchange.
Phases one to three were funded through the Canada-Ontario Strategic Highway Infrastructure Program, a joint federal-provincial funding program for transportation infrastructure improvements in Ontario.
Through the Border Infrastructure Fund, the Government of Canada and the Province of Ontario are undertaking the detailed design and construction of phase four from Highway 3 to Manning Road as part of the Let's Get Windsor-Essex Moving strategy.
Let's Get Windsor-Essex Moving strategy
The Let's Get Windsor-Essex Moving strategy is a $300-million shared investment by the Government of Canada and the Province of Ontario to improve traffic flow to existing crossings, and address congestion and security issues at the Windsor-Detroit Gateway.
Completed projects announced as part of the strategy include:
a pedestrian overpass on Huron Church Road at Assumption High School;
implementation of intelligent transportation systems, such as cameras, to improve traffic management, video monitoring, and driver information;
advance work at Grand Marais and Walker Road to facilitate traffic staging during the upcoming Walker Road construction; and
intersection improvements on Huron Church Road at Industrial Drive to facilitate access to the United States Customs truck pre-processing facility.
The environmental assessment and detailed design stages of several additional projects are underway, namely:
the Canadian section of the Windsor-Detroit Tunnel Plaza; and
a road-rail grade separation on Howard Avenue south of Memorial Drive.
For more information on the status of the Let's Get Windsor-Essex Moving strategy, please visit www.mto.gov.on.ca.
Border Transportation Partnership
The Governments of Canada and the United States, along with the Province of Ontario and the State of Michigan are on schedule with the planning for a new border crossing in the Windsor-Detroit area.
The Ontario Ministry of Transportation, in partnership with Transport Canada, is leading the Canadian portion of the Detroit River International Crossing study, which is seeking a long-term solution to border transportation issues. This thorough and systematic study is being coordinated with a similar study in the United States. Together, these studies will identify the location for a new international crossing, plazas and access roads, as well as provide the necessary documentation required for approvals under environmental legislation in both countries.
For more information on the status of the Detroit River International Crossing study, please visit www.partnershipborderstudy.com.
September 2007
