Be prepared for some trail closures downtown as the city prepares to move the historic streetcar to its permanent home along the riverfront.
The City of Windsor will be moving the Streetcar No. 351 from its storage location to its permanent home at Legacy Park.
There will be a three-week closure of a section of Windsor's Riverfront multi-use trail from now until Saturday, August 3.
A small portion of the trail will be closed from Crawford Avenue to the C.M.H. Woods Pumping Station.
This closure is in place to allow for construction and asphalt replacement at the Legacy Beacon and Park site. During this time, the restored and covered streetcar will be positioned on the site inside the structure being constructed for its future grand opening.
James Chacko, Executive Director of Parks and Facilities for the City of Windsor, says there will be closures to allow for the move.
"A portion of the Riverfront Trail will be closed, basically that section will be from Crawford to Caron Avenue. There will be appropriate signage indicating that the trail is closed and providing a directional route to come up to Riverside Drive and come back and come down around."
He says there is still construction to take place at the site which includes improvements to the parking lot and the existing trails.
"There is work now that has to expand beyond what is the existing fence line that has been separating the site from the multi-use trail. So, that fence line will be extended to include that multi-use trail in that area."
Chacko adds that excitement has been growing for the reveal.
"Now they can see the Beacon itself - although not yet completed - has really developed, and you can see just how beautiful a space it's going to be, and the view that it's going to offer residents and visitors to the City of Windsor to be able to really enjoy that billion dollar view of the Detroit River and the Detroit skyline, and our wonderful parks."
An exact date for the grand opening has yet to be announced, but it is anticipated to be this fall.
It was announced in October 2021 that the streetcar would be moved to its new home at Legacy Park.
The $10.3-million project is part of the City's 10-year capital plan which invests more than $184.5 million in City parks, recreation, and facilities across the community.
Streetcar No. 351 is an important artifact in the story of Windsor's transportation history. It was built in 1918 in Cincinnati, Ohio, and is 50 feet long, and weighs just over 24,000 pounds.