Windsor's Not Waiting For Lansing, Construction Started Ahead Of New International Bridge Crossing
DETROIT (WWJ) - Windsor says the Governor Rick Snyder's International Bridge just needs a signature in Lansing and while they wait, they aren't twiddling their thumbs -- they've already started construction. WWJ's Kathryn Larson has part three of her series.
Mile after mile of construction, cameras caught the new Parkway in Windsor coming to life. Demolition began about six months ago to create a 10 lane highway that would curb noisy trucks and create a new way to the border.
That new way is through the International Bridge Crossing, a project that Windsor Mayor Eddie Francis said is raring to go.
"The shovel's in the ground on this side. The project's proceeding, it's a construction zone out there, and we're quite confident and hopeful that things will be approved in Lansing," said Francis.
Meantime, more than 9,000 homeowners like Joe Di Giorgio sold their homes to the Canadian Government to make way for the new transportation solution.
"It's a pretty big construction scene. There's going to be 10 lanes of highway going in and quite a bit of property had to be cleared out in order to start the building process," said DiGiorgio.
As DiGiorgio walks around the property he built from the ground up, he said he got a fair market offer for his home and has no hard feelings -- no matter what happens to his home.
"It's necessary. I think what we're going to get here is way better than what we've had. I've lived in this neighborhood my entire life and I'm used to the trucks and the truck noise but now I think, since the highway is going to go below grade, that it's actually going to be much better for the residents of the area," said DiGiorgio.
Keep up with the Windsor Essex Parkway on their official site, Twitter, YouTube and Flickr.
Watch Part 1 of this story, here.
Watch Part 2 of this story, here.
