Construction begins at Windsor-Detroit Tunnel

WINDSOR, Ontario—Construction to upgrade the parts of the Windsor-Detroit Tunnel have begun.

The work is being conducted on the Canadian Plaza section of tunnel. The improvements include new vehicle access lanes, new buildings for the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) and tunnel maintenance, new integrated primary inspection (IPIL) lanes for trucks, as well as a reconfiguration of the duty-free parking area, municipal parking lots and existing intersections.

During the first stage of construction, traffic should be relatively unaffected. The first stage of upgrades will necessitate the installation of temporary traffic signals, the demolition of parking areas, and the installation of sewers and water mains. This portion of the upgrades is worth $16.6 million, and is expected to create 150 jobs.

The tunnel upgrades are part of a larger transportation improvement project in Windsor area. The $300 million Let’s Get Windsor-Essex Moving (LGWEM) strategy is a jointly funded (through the Canada-Ontario Border Infrastructure Fund) federal-provincial effort to reduce traffic congestion and make the road network more efficient. It is designed to address 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. Some of the LGWEM projects include:

Some of the ongoing projects under the LGWEM strategy include:

• 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 EC Row Expressway (to be completed in 2013)