No. H 224/08
For release - October 31, 2008
WINDSOR - The governments of Canada and Ontario, in partnership with the City of Windsor, today announced the completion of construction on the Walker Road-CPR grade separation and the reopening of the roadway to traffic. This $50-million investment by Canada and Ontario will reduce congestion and improve traffic flow for tens of thousands of travellers in Windsor-Essex.
"This project will help reduce local traffic congestion and enhance the flow of trucks across the Canada-U.S. border," said Jeff Watson, Member of Parliament for Essex. "Prime Minister Harper and our Government are committed to improving the quality of life for local families in Windsor and Essex through safer, less congested roads. Projects such as this support the continued growth of the economies of Windsor and Essex County, Ontario and Canada."
"Ontario's economy depends on strong infrastructure and efficient roads," said Sandra Pupatello, Ontario Minister of International Trade and Investment, and MPP for Windsor West. "The McGuinty government is committed to the Let's Get Windsor-Essex Moving strategy in order to keep people and goods moving efficiently through the Windsor-Detroit Gateway," added Dwight Duncan, Ontario Minister of Finance and MPP for Windsor-Tecumseh.
"Three levels of government worked together to get this project finished ahead of schedule," said Mayor Eddie Francis. "The patience and understanding shown by residents and businesses during construction will now be rewarded for years to come with significantly improved infrastructure and traffic flow along this critical north-south corridor."
Walker Road was closed in August 2007 for construction of the main grade separation project. With today's reopening, over 30,000 drivers in Windsor-Essex now have a direct north-south route no longer interrupted by trains.
This project was jointly funded by the governments of Canada and Ontario under the Let's Get Windsor-Essex Moving strategy, a $300-million commitment for several transportation infrastructure projects that will improve efficiency and reduce congestion in Windsor-Essex. Funding for this strategy comes from the Canada-Ontario Border Infrastructure Fund.
In addition to the Walker Road-CPR grade separation project, construction is continuing on the widening of Essex County Road 22 and the widening of Highway 401 between Highway 3 and Manning Road.
For more information on the status of the Let's Get Windsor-Essex Moving strategy, please visit www.ontario.ca/transportation.
A backgrounder with further information about the reopening of Walker Road, the Let's Get Windsor-Essex Moving strategy, and the Detroit River International Crossing (DRIC) border transportation partnership is attached.
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Contacts:
Media Relations
Transport Canada, Ottawa
613-993-0055
Mark Butler
Communications
Transport Canada, Windsor
519-967-4280
Nicole Lippa-Gasparro
Minister's Office
Ontario Ministry of Transportation, Toronto
416-327-1815
Pat Smith
Windsor Border Initiatives Implementation Group
Ontario Ministry of Transportation
519-973-7359
Transport Canada is online at www.tc.gc.ca. Subscribe to news releases and speeches at www.tc.gc.ca/e-news and keep up-to-date on the latest from Transport Canada.
For more information on the Ontario Ministry of Transportation, please visit www.mto.gov.ca.
This news release may be made available in alternative formats for persons with visual disabilities.
The completion of construction on the Walker Road-CPR grade separation marks the reopening of the roadway to traffic. This $50-million investment by Canada and Ontario will reduce congestion and improve traffic flow immediately for tens of thousands of travellers in Windsor-Essex.
The Ontario Ministry of Transportation, in recognition of the importance of this roadway to the City of Windsor, included incentives in the construction contract and various measures during construction to ensure the project was completed and reopened in a timely manner. Throughout this project, there was also a high level of cooperation among all partners.
The CPR mainline crossing on Walker Road south of Grand Marais Road East had caused major traffic delays on Walker Road due to the large volume of trains crossing the tracks daily. The implementation of the Vehicle and Cargo Inspection System border screening system, which requires border-bound trains to slow significantly to have their contents scanned, caused further delays.
The Walker Road-CPR grade separation project was awarded the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials' (AASHTO) 2007 award for pre-construction engineering. It is the only Canadian project to ever win such an award. These North American awards are given to transportation agencies in recognition of outstanding achievements in value engineering - a process to optimize the delivery of a project at the best price. Value engineering allows organizations to implement recommendations made by study team members to reduce costs and shorten delivery timelines.
The Let's Get Windsor-Essex Moving strategy
The Walker Road-CPR grade separation project was jointly funded by the governments of Canada and Ontario under the Let's Get Windsor-Essex Moving strategy, a $300-million investment for several transportation infrastructure projects that will improve efficiency and reduce congestion in Windsor-Essex. Funding for this strategy comes from the Canada-Ontario Border Infrastructure Fund.
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 and Huron Church Road;
- the implementation of intelligent transportation systems such as traffic cameras to improve traffic management, video monitoring, and driver information; and
- the installation of new signs for the Detroit-Windsor Truck Ferry.
Detroit River International Crossing (DRIC) Border Transportation Partnership
The governments of Canada, the United States, Ontario and Michigan are moving forward with a border transportation partnership to implement a long-range transportation strategy that will address challenges at the Windsor-Detroit Gateway.
The Ontario Ministry of Transportation, in partnership with Transport Canada, is leading the Canadian portion of the Detroit River International Crossing Study, which was established in order to develop a long-term solution to border transportation issues. This thorough and systematic study is coordinated with a similar study in the United States. In the spring of 2008, the Canadian study team announced the technically and environmentally preferred alternative for the new international bridge, a new inspection plaza, and the access road - the Windsor-Essex Parkway. The study team will be submitting the Canadian Environmental Assessment Report to approving authorities upon the conclusion of the study.
October 2008
www.tc.gc.ca
www.ontario.ca/transportation
