Windsor-Essex Parkway - Page 27

sa230e · #**521** Posted **Aug 17, 2014, 2:18 AM**

These are from Highway 3 at Todd Lane. On the left is the old temporary diversion that was in use while the Todd/Cabana tunnel was under construction. It's about halfway dug out now. On the right is the final alignment which runs over top of the tunnel.

Tunnel top looking east along Highway 3

Tunnel top looking west

New (and final) Highway 3 alignment beside the old one

Looking towards Oakwood tunnel

sa230e · #**522** Posted **Aug 27, 2014, 11:43 PM**

Here's my latest progress video:

• Video Link

Also, checkout the Parkway Flickr page. Some really sweet pictures have been posted up.

sa230e · #**523** Posted **Sep 4, 2014, 8:23 PM**

Girders are (finally) up on Matchette road bridge. Overhead signs on E.C. Row west are also up (but covered up).

sa230e · #**524** Posted **Sep 23, 2014, 3:08 PM**

Lambton street over the Grand Marais tunnel has been completed and opened to traffic. The Bethlehem Avenue connector is now closed and will probably be dug out soon.

New gantries have gone up over Huron Church Road for E.C. Row (one in each direction). I'm not sure why they did that. The new signs are just like the old ones except they're bigger, up to MTO spec and fixed to gantries instead of the bridge.

DHLawrence · #**525** Posted **Sep 24, 2014, 12:55 AM**

Is Spring Garden going to reopen or is it closed for good?

sa230e · #**526** Posted **Sep 24, 2014, 2:00 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by DHLawrence

Is Spring Garden going to reopen or is it closed for good?

Last time I was there (late August) they had just closed down that bend at the end where it connects to Bethlehem Ave. I'm not sure why. Is it still closed?

I don't think they're going to close it for good. The maps on the project website show it ending at Bethlehem Ave (which it already does).

sonysnob · #**527** Posted **Sep 24, 2014, 1:43 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by sa230e

New gantries have gone up over Huron Church Road for E.C. Row (one in each direction). I'm not sure why they did that. The new signs are just like the old ones except they're bigger, up to MTO spec and fixed to gantries instead of the bridge.

They could be planning to rehabilitate the EC Row overpasses in the coming years, which usually involves replacing the parapet walls of the overpass, which would mean the bridge mounted signs would need to go.

I've been told that the MTO is more averse to placing new signs on structures than they have been in the past, as drilling holes into the side of the bridge can be a way for water to infiltrate and start to corrode the structure.

sa230e · #**528** Posted **Sep 28, 2014, 12:34 AM**

Old sign (courtesy of asphaltplanet.ca):

New sign:

sonysnob · #**529** Posted **Sep 28, 2014, 9:31 AM**

^ That's funky looking. I was figuring they would have installed a partial gantry with a "must exit" style sign, such as this:

sa230e · #**530** Posted **Sep 28, 2014, 3:26 PM**

Yeah, it's the first time I've seen them use the diagonal arrow on a new sign. It's very old school. I can see why they did it, though since the exit is under the bridge.

Here's the other direction:

Blitz · #**531** Posted **Sep 29, 2014, 2:52 AM**

Signage is something that definitely needs to be improved in and around the E.C. Row Expwy...particularly on the expressway itself. I think the city is responsible for that though which means it really lags behind provincial standards.

sa230e · #**532** Posted **Sep 29, 2014, 5:30 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blitz

Signage is something that definitely needs to be improved in and around the E.C. Row Expwy...particularly on the expressway itself. I think the city is responsible for that though which means it really lags behind provincial standards.

Isn't E.C. Row a 7000 series highway? Do the 7000 series get provincial funding or are they just provincial highways in (hidden) name only?

Symz · #**533** Posted **Sep 29, 2014, 8:10 PM**

I think the last I had heard Windsor is hoofing the bill for the E.C. Row Expressway. We also pay to maintain Huron Church.

Innsertnamehere · #**534** Posted **Sep 29, 2014, 9:55 PM**

Yes, they are municipally owned. Most urban roads are, almost every large Ontario city has at least one municipally owned expressway. Windsor, London, Toronto, Hamilton, Ottawa, etc.

haljackey · #**535** Posted **Sep 29, 2014, 11:49 PM**

I'm not picky about signs, as long as they tell me where I am going or confirm my GPS/Google maps directions, then I'm good.

Nice pics!

sa230e · #**536** Posted **Sep 30, 2014, 12:51 AM**

More pics from Saturday:

Highway 3 at Grand Marais Road/Lambton Street. Just opened last week complete with another signage error:

Shiny new CMS. Seriously, the new gantries seem to sparkle in the sunlight. They're pristine. It's like the highway to heaven, except it's going to Detroit.

I tried to go down Bethlehem to get to Spring Garden road to see if it was still closed and to see how Spring Garden tunnel is coming along but it's shut down (it was always a temporary diversion) now that Lambton street is connected to Highway 3 again. I would have taken it anyway only there was active construction. Usually there's nobody on site on weekend evenings but they were very busy digging out the Bethlehem connector so I took photos from across the street.

The pump stations are starting to look a lot like garages

sonysnob · #**537** Posted **Sep 30, 2014, 1:38 AM**

The 7087 designation has reportedly come back into service as of a few years ago for the entire length of the highway. I know this from a second hand account of what is displayed in the MTO's internal GIS. Because of the 401 extension, the EC is fully MTO maintained from Ojibway Parkway as far as Huron Church. East of Huron Church, the jurisdiction is murky, I don't know what the full story is, whether the GIS lists the remainder of the highway as assumed in error, or if there is some sort of maintenance agreement with the city. The city is seemingly in charge of day to day operations east of Huron Church.

Agreed, above on the signage for the EC Row. Windsor's attempt to sign the highway are poor at best. Luckily, the highway serves almost entirely local traffic, so good signage isn't as paramount, but still, the signs are too small for them to be legible to traffic passing them by at high speed.

Thanks for the pics. I am pleased to see some the new CMS signs that are going up on the mainline.

Blitz · #**538** Posted **Oct 3, 2014, 5:50 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Symz

I think the last I had heard Windsor is hoofing the bill for the E.C. Row Expressway. We also pay to maintain Huron Church.

Which is unfair given the amount of people from the suburbs who use the expressway every day and pay nothing to maintain it. But can we ever get the province to force amalgamation down here? Of course not.

Symz · #**539** Posted **Oct 3, 2014, 9:39 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blitz

Which is unfair given the amount of people from the suburbs who use the expressway every day and pay nothing to maintain it. But can we ever get the province to force amalgamation down here? Of course not.

I agree, I don't know why the whole process set out by the province seemed to have fell apart when it hit Windsor - Essex County.

sa230e · #**540** Posted **Oct 23, 2014, 1:13 AM**

New aereal photos here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/hgpark...7648412821140/