Upgrades to the Windsor-Detroit Tunnel Canadian Plaza are jointly funded by the Governments of Canada and Ontario under the Let's Get Windsor-Essex Moving (LGWEM) strategy, a $300-million commitment by the two governments to improve efficiency and reduce congestion on the Ontario approaches to the Windsor-Detroit border crossings. Funding for this strategy comes from the Canada-Ontario Border Infrastructure Fund.
The LGWEM Strategy addresses the short- to medium-term concerns at existing border crossings in Windsor-Essex prior to the construction of a new publicly-owned bridge between Windsor and Detroit. The projects under this strategy are improving efficiency and reducing congestion in the local road network.
Projects under the LGWEM strategy include:
- A pedestrian overpass over Huron Church Road south of Tecumseh Road (completed 2005)
- Intersection improvements on Highway 3 at Walker Road and Outer Drive (completed 2005)
- Intersection improvements to Huron Church Road at Industrial Drive (completed 2006)
- Improvements to County Road 19 north of County Road 22 to the VIA Rail Line (completed 2007)
- Intelligent Transportation Systems projects including cameras, changeable message signs, and portable message systems (completed 2008)
- An Environmental Assessment and Preliminary Design Study to identify improvements to Essex County Road 19 (completed 2008)
- Road-rail grade separations on Walker Road and Howard Avenue at the CPR tracks (Walker Road completed 2008; Howard Avenue completed 2011)
- Improvements to the Detroit-Windsor Truck Ferry facilities (completed 2010)
- Improvements to County Road 22 (completed 2010)
- Improvements to Highway 401 (completed 2011)
- Master plan and environmental study of improvements to Lauzon Parkway from Essex County Road 42 to Highway 401 (to be completed in 2013)
- Detail design and construction of upgrades to Walker Road between Division Road and E.C. Row Expressway. (to be completed in 2013)
- Improvements to the Canadian plaza of the Windsor-Detroit Tunnel (to be completed 2014)
For more information on the Let’s Get Windsor-Essex Moving strategy, please refer to the following websites:
www.tc.gc.ca/eng/programs/surface-highways-projects-ont_windsor-1163.htm
www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/engineering/border/windsor/
