Following the milestone earlier this summer of the bridge deck connection for the Gordie Howe International Bridge, progress is also continuing on other aspects of the overall project in the nearby communities.
To help keep the community informed about the Sandwich Street reconstruction, the project team held a drop-in meeting Thursday night where people could meet with project reps, get the latest reconstruction updates and provide feedback.
Chief Relations Officer with the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority, Heather Grondin, says they try to engage the community throughout the duration of the project on a quarterly basis.
With any big construction project, Grondin says they get questions about dust in the air and access for residents.
"How people get from one place to the other especially in terms of the detours that are in place and just accessing businesses and their homes. Those are some of the prime things that we've been hearing to date. And we do continue to encourage people to reach out to us so that we can hear what their concerns are," she said.
Grondin says in discussions with local businesses there can be frustration with access and lack of parking while the work is ongoing, but those discussions tend to end on a positive note when they start talking about what the future will look like once the work is done.
She says a lot of the focus understandably is on the bridge, but the surrounding communities will benefit.
"By Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority funding this additional type of work, it does identify and speak to the fact that in the future people will be coming through this area and community to get to the bridge or coming off of the bridge. And having the improved roadways, the improved road work that we're doing, is going to help the businesses in the long run."
Grondin also provided details on some of the upcoming work that people can expect to see.
"There is a road closure coming up around the Essex Terminal Railway tracks. We are starting to do some asphalt and curb work in the area between Chappell and Chippawa. And then in the BIA area, that's really where you're seeing a lot of the getting down to the layer that will eventually have asphalt put on top of it," she said.
Grondin says crews continue working hard to hopefully have all of the Sandwich Street improvements done by the end of 2024.
Construction on the customs offices by the bridge are coming along very well too, as Grondin explained that at a visit to the Canadian port of entry earlier this week she saw chairs being installed inside.
