The Dougall Ave/CN Rail Pedestrian Underpass is reaching a critical point in the project.
Southbound Dougall Ave. near Ouellette Place, has been down to one lane since August 26th as crews build a bike and pedestrian path along with intersection improvements.
This weekend, South Cameron Boulevard and the CN tracks will be closed as the tunnel-like underpass is installed.
Windsor Engineer Mark Winterton says once the tracks are closed, part of the tracks will be removed, a hole will be dug to install the box culvert, and then it will be filled in and the tracks replaced.
"That will be put together like a massive lego set," says Winterton.
This portion of the project is tentatively set to start on Friday with one challenge being the CN Rail strike right now, but the city is working with the CN Rail union to resolve any issues.
Winterton says it is a complicated portion of the project.
"Every minute will count when we are doing this," he says. "We have a very tight window and so we are going to be closing down South Cameron but traffic will still be flowing on Dougal."
Image of the Dougall Avnue/CN Rail (Courtesy of Amico/City of Windsor)
Winterton calls the project "transformational."
"What we have is something that took 100 years to get this project in place," he adds. "Every councillor that has been elected in my career has said I'm going to deal with that and there is a reason it hasn't been done for a 100 years because it has been a very challenging project."
Part of the project will include new traffic lights at the curve which should be operational in the next few weeks.
Winterton says Dougall Ave. southbound should re-open to two lanes again in the news few weeks and then the project will resume for a couple of weeks in the spring to wrap it up.
The $6.1-million project is still on budget.