Windsor-Essex Parkway
 

Conceptual images of the Windsor-Essex Parkway.

http://www.weparkway.ca/interactivem...atchetteRd.jpg

http://www.weparkway.ca/interactivemap/C12_MaldenRd.jpg

http://www.weparkway.ca/interactivem...B8_Pulford.jpg

http://www.weparkway.ca/interactivem...Roundabout.jpg

Video
• Video Link

Website: http://www.weparkway.ca/

The Windsor-Essex Parkway will extend Highway 401 to a new bridge border crossing with the USA, creating a full freeway link in Windsor.

Construction starts later this year. Prep work begun in 2010.

They've already demolished dozens of buildings along Huron Church Road for this.

Good to see Ontario is building a highway right to the border only 60 years after they should have.

Very cool interactive map: http://www.weparkway.ca/interactivem...activeMap.html

It will be the first major highway project in Ontario since the 407 and 416 were completed in the late 1990's.

I really like some of the landscaping and configuration decisions they've made. Words cannot express how badly I want something like this in London.

New Windsor-Essex Parkway signs erected along Highway 3 in Windsor:

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5294/...8d83b47c_b.jpg

http://img339.imageshack.us/img339/3...4f6c331bdb.jpg

Propaganda much? :haha:

Not as bad as the Economic Action Plan signs stuck to every single thing the federal government owns. They tuned up an old clock at our tax building a year ago and the sign has been in front of it ever since.

I love the land bridges. Hopefully this is something that gets incorporated in the majority of Hwy projects from now on.

This project has been needed for such a long time now, It's great to see it about to start soon

I agree this project is long overdue. My father is a truck driver, has been for almost over 35 years and he put it like this. You can drive from Quebec almost all the way to Windsor without having to stop, but the last 6km or so leading up to the bridge you hit something like 15 traffic lights on the 401, so it's definately a bottleneck that needs to be addressed.

^ You can drive from Quebec City all the way to Mexico without stopping at all (except at 15 traffic lights in Windsor).

How do you guys feel knowing that the province is plowing ahead with this much needed project, but Michigan has YET to come on board and approve the bridge project, meaning as of now it is the road to nowhere.

I know the newly elected Michigan state governer (Snyder) though he's republican (democrats were previously pushing the bridge) he seems to be on board, but Matty Maroun has alot of Michigan politicians in his pocket.


If you look at the bridge renderings did you ever notice people going over this yet to be built bridge to the states, the first thing they will see is Zug Island on the states side.... Great first impression.

source: some guy on flickr
http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/...a2c1d853_b.jpg

The new goverment bridge will eventually be built at some point in time, everyone of importance is behind this project except the owners of the Ambassador Bridge and some politicians in Michigan that were paid off with political donations by them.
Windsor will not permit the Ambassador Bridge to be twinned, which would rip up historical neighbourhoods and permit thousands of belching trucks to continue to clog major city streets.

If Michigan keeps dawdling, they will eventually be trumped by Washington. The only reason this hasn't passed in Michigan yet is because of Moroun (the slumlord owner of the Ambassador Bridge).

It is not a pleasant sight but there's no real alternative.

The view won't be any worse than driving through Hamilton with their steel mills, not great, but like Blitz said, there's not really any alternative

Myself I haven't really gone down to Indian road to see how many houses have been affected by this Bridge vs. City stalemate. From what I gather in the media it seems a pretty sizeable chunk of that street or area is laying derelict. It's a crying shame and I feel sorry for the residents of Indian Rd. for being caught up in the middle of it all, but it seems that's where the line was drawn and the trenches dug. I'm sure residents of that street don't feel the same, but I emplore the city for standing up to the Ambassador Bridge Company.

The vast majority of those homes were/are used as student rentals...there are a handful of long-term residents but not many. Moroun is the ultimate real-life 'Mr. Burns'. He doesn't care about any of the residents, he has ruined entire neighbourhoods on both sides of the border, and he's only concerned about making money. Lots of people in Windsor are just hoping he dies soon but when that happens, everything will just be transferred to his idiot son (who is just as bad).

Hate to rain on the parade but numbers for cross border traffic between Michigan and Ontario are down 50% since 9/11. Does that really warrant a new bridge?

BTW I am in favor of the new bridge. It won't cost Michigan taxpayers a dime and will create thousands of jobs.

Just thought I'd stir the pot a little :D

You sound like those misleading commercials that Moroun keeps playing. Border traffic is only going to rise in the future and the Ambassador Bridge is 83 years old.

How is it misleading if its true? :koko:

I just wanted to play devil's advocate. There are 2 sides to this story.

One thing I didn't like from Canada's side was their comment about how there should be laws and regulations against the commercials Moroun has been running. That scares me. No matter how much you hate Moroun, he has the right to voice his own opinion. Is that really how it is in Canada? The government has so much control over the media that it would be against the law for commercials like Moroun's to be aired?

Its true the Ambassador bridge is very old though. And Canada has refused to let another span be built by Moroun so the only available option is the NITC. Which wil also connect nicely with the W/E Parkway. So I'm all for it :yes:

I've never heard such a thing in Canadian media about the government saying anything about laws and regulations on commercials pertaining to the Ambassador Bridge Company....


The Canadian government, I think, doesn't feel it's appropriate any longer for a private company to hold the reigns on an international border crossing. This company is starting to reek, and it's felt like they have held the public hostage. The bridge needs to be replaced and for the sake of streamlining things the government doesn't want a new bridge running through the city anymore.

It's a shame this drama has dragged out for as long as it has, lord knows the region, both here and in Detroit could use the jobs and infrastructure upgrade.