Popular commuter route shut down during traffic circle construction
A heavily-travelled route for those living in the city’s west end or beyond in LaSalle and Amherstburg will be fully shut down to traffic for more than two months.
Construction gets underway Thursday of the planned $850,000 traffic circle that will soon eliminate a dangerous intersection where both University Avenue West and Riverside Drive West merge to become Sandwich Street.
The project — which also includes a new water main, multi-use paths and placement of a historic statue within the traffic circle — is not expected to be completed until some time in early September, said city officials on Wednesday.
“It’s going to be a nice process at the end for everybody, but it’s going to be painful (for drivers) for a couple of months,” said Tiffany Pocock, an infrastructure engineer for the city.
“Any time you do rehabilitation work it’s painful.”
Drivers who frequently use either Riverside or University while travelling westbound are being asked to detour up southbound Huron Church Road to west on Wyandotte Street to northbound Mill Street and down to Sandwich. The reverse path applies to those driving eastbound on Sandwich.
Many using that stretch of Sandwich and Riverside are commuters entering the city from LaSalle or Amherstburg. The detour route includes several stop lights so is certain to add to driving time, Pocock said.
“I would encourage anyone to avoid the area altogether if they can,” she said.
Other alternatives entering the city for those commuters impacted by the traffic circle project include E.C. Row Expressway, Matchette Road or Malden Road.
By completing the traffic circle over the summer months it should be somewhat helpful given how students from the nearby University of Windsor are largely off for the summer easing the burden on the detour routes, said Dwayne Dawson, the city’s executive director of operations.
“Without the students, you will not see the full extent (of traffic gridlock) to the extent you would see in the fall,” he said.
The Sandwich Street construction zone is just one of several major road arteries in Windsor seeing traffic issues due to construction.
“The biggest one right now is Tecumseh Road East,” said Dawson, citing water main and road resurfacing near Parent Avenue and Hall Avenue.
Work on that stretch with reduced lanes will continue throughout the rest of the summer, along with similar work on Tecumseh Road West in a stretch near Partington Avenue and Campbell Avenue.
Narrowing of lanes on E.C. Row Expressway in both directions for bridge work is also continuing to cause traffic problems, especially during peak rush hours.
That project should hopefully be completed by mid-August, Dawson said.
Another looming project scheduled to begin in late August is also sure to cause major traffic disruption in the downtown area, he said.
The intersection of Wyandotte Street and Ouellette Avenue is going to be rebuilt.
Traffic lanes will be reduced but continue to move in all directions during construction, Dawson said.
Once that construction is completed, work will begin on rebuilding a stretch of road and water main installation on Ouellette between Wyandotte and Elliott Street, he said.