source:
http://blogs.windsorstar.com/2012/02...n-roads-opens/
Quote:
First of 14 parkway diversion roads opens
Let the detours begin.
MPP Teresa Piruzza was the first member of the public to drive down Diversion 1 on Friday, the first of 14 temporary roads being built to keep traffic flowing during construction of the $1.4-billion Windsor-Essex Parkway.
The 600-metre roadway, complete with street lights, is the parkway’s first real completed construction project, officials said at a ceremony held immediately after Piruzza (L — Windsor West) completed her slow ceremonial drive in a black Chrysler minivan. Linking Lambton Road to Spring Garden Road, it’s intended to keep people living in the Spring Garden area from being landlocked once Bethlehem Avenue is closed for about a year at Huron Church Road. It opens to the public on Tuesday.
It’s taken months to build at a cost of roughly $200,000 and will be used for about a year before it’s ripped out, project director Michael Hatchell said. Next to come are diversions 2 and 3 on the other side of Huron Church at Labelle Street, while an extension of Highway 401 (seven metres below grade) to a new downriver bridge is built, along with an adjacent road for local traffic, 300 acres of parkland, 20 kilometres of bike paths and 12 park-like tunnel tops over the truck route.
“The whole purpose of these diversions is to maintain traffic during construction, to make sure people have access to get to work, get their kids to school and get to businesses,” Hatchell said.
It’s not unusual to build temporary roads when you have such a massive project in an area with existing homes and roadways, he said. Most of the 14 diversion roads should be open within the next year. The entire project is on schedule for completion in 2014.
Hatchell said the project had some early delays, but the mild winter has allowed crews to catch up.
Piruzza marvelled at the enormity of the project.
“I drive this (Huron Church) road every day, driving my kids back and forth to activities, and I’m just amazed by the progress that’s occurring,” she said.
All the activity underlines that the project is creating jobs, she said. “People are working here.”
So far, 2,500 people have completed the training required to work on the project, she said. “And the numbers will only grow.”
The Ontario government estimates the parkway project will result in 12,000 jobs when all the spinoffs are included.
|
There is also a small video at the link provided.
Here is a link to a large gallery of aerial photos the Windsor Star showcased the other day on the project so far. I will throw a couple of the photos up, but visit the link to see the full gallery.
http://www.windsorstar.com/news/Gall...124/story.html
Here you can see 2 bridges that have already been built offsite, but nearby.
Working on the Grande Marais Drain
You can see the beginnings of some of the trenching here.
Former neighbourhood was ripped out here
Site of the proposed, and yet to be passed in Michigan, bridge.
In some of the photos you can also notice the black plastic tarp fencing. This was put up all along the WE Parkway corridor to protect a few species of snake.
Alot of the photos look very barren but that is because alot of businesses have been torn down and alot of bush and trees in some areas ripped out as well.