Canadian Preparatory Activities

On September 25, 2015, Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority (WDBA) selected Amico Infrastructures Inc. of Oldcastle, Ontario as its contractor to complete the first phase of preparatory activities, known as Early Works, on the site of the Canadian Port of Entry (POE).

The Early Works activities will prepare the Canadian POE site for the work to be undertaken by the private-sector partner to be identified through the public-private partnership (P3) procurement process.

Included in this project is:

• construction of a perimeter access road (PAR)
• the placement of fill, grading and drainage
• utility relocation.

Perimeter Access Road (PAR)

Once construction of a new four kilometre, two-lane PAR is complete, existing sections of Sandwich Street and Broadway Street located within the footprint of the Canadian POE will need to be closed. The new PAR will be built around the site of the Canadian POE. The road will provide public access to private and public properties adjacent to the Canadian POE. The new road will also allow for the access for emergency services such as fire and police. The new PAR will be constructed to City of Windsor standards. Ultimately, ownership of the new road will be transferred to the City and it will become a municipal roadway. Watch our time-lapse video of the PAR under construction.

Fill, Grading and Drainage

The new Canadian POE will include several buildings, roadways and parking lots as well as bridge ramps and bridge piers. All of these elements will require a solid base on which they can be built. To ensure that the site is prepared for additional loading, various geotechnical soil improvement techniques will be utilized. These techniques include the installation of wick drains and fill surcharge which will accelerate the settlement of the underlying soils. The site will also be graded to accommodate a comprehensive drainage plan.

Utility Relocation

Various existing municipal utilities including water lines, sanitary and stormwater systems, are located within the footprint of the Canadian POE. Several of these utilities are obsolete and need to be abandoned. Many more need to be relocated to ensure that service to existing customers is not disrupted. The relocated utilities will be moved to the right-of-way along the PAR and in designated utility corridors throughout the Canadian POE. There will be no interruption of utility services during the relocation.

Species at Risk Removal

Collection and relocation of species at risk is ongoing. Experts collected hundreds of plants and species from the Canadian POE site. All workers in the project area have received species at risk training in accordance with environmental obligations.

Exclusion Fence

Black geotextile fabric fencing called exclusion fencing has been installed to limit access to the site by species at risk, other wildlife and people. Approximately 4.5 kilometres / 2.8 miles of exclusion fence have been installed around the perimeter of the construction zone. Watch our video.

Grubbing and Topsoil Removal

To prepare the site for Early Works construction, the removal of existing vegetation along with stripping of topsoil is needed. Approximately 38,000 m3 / 1.3 million cubic feet of topsoil has been removed from the Canadian site so far. Watch our video.

Wick Drain Installation

Wick drains are man-made drainage paths to allow for faster settling of certain types of soils. They provide greater soil strength in areas where a significant amount of fill will be placed. Once the wick drains were installed to the depth of approximately 20 metres / 65 feet deep, fill was placed to build up the area in preparation for road construction and paving. In total over 42,000 wick drains were installed utilizing 850 kilometres of wick. Watch our video of wick drains being installed.

Drainage Blanket

Wick drains drain into this layer which directs the excess water to the surface drainage system. Approximately 91,000 tonnes of fill was used for the drainage blanket.

Broadway Drain Reconstruction

The existing Broadway Drain has been reconstructed to accommodate future needs including planning for a rare storm event. The existing drain was widened to over 20 metres / 65 feet in sections once completed. The design allows for a hibernacula – homes/habitat for snakes that may be in the surrounding areas.

Gas Pipeline

Approximately 4.3 kilometres (2.7 miles) of new high-pressure natural gas pipeline has been installed at the Canadian POE.

The pipeline delivers natural gas to two local power generating stations, which use the natural gas to generate electricity for the provincial energy grid. WDBA worked closely with Union Gas Limited, the power generating facilities and the Ontario Provincial Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) to coordinate the changeover at the power plants to ensure there was no interruption to the energy grid. Watch our video on the installation of the gas pipeline.

Utility Relocation

Hydro One, in partnership with WDBA, has installed three new transmission towers, which replace three existing structures. Watch a time-lapse of a tower under construction. Watch our time-lapse video.

Pumping Station

A municipal pumping station is located within the footprint of the Canadian POE and must be relocated. Excavation for a new pumping station is underway.

Hydro Transmission and Distribution

The site of the future Canadian POE contains overhead lines that need to be relocated. Phase two of the Preparatory Works includes additional utility relocations with an emphasis on the Hydro One power corridor that connects the International line that crosses the Detroit River to the Keith Transformer Station and beyond that, the province’s power grid. Many of these overhead lines will be moved underground and some connected onto new transmission towers. This work, worth an estimated $86 million includes high voltage cabling and accessories, transmission and distribution line relocation.