Rt. Honourable Herb Gray Parkway

Increased traffic flow between Canada and the USA

6 lane extension of Canada's Highway 401 into Detroit

14 new overpass structures

The Parkway trail: 20 km within 120 ha of green space

Challenges

A new transportation corridor was needed to directly connect Highway 401 in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, to Interstate 75 in Detroit, Michigan, USA, at the site of a proposed new bridge across the Detroit River.
Traffic patterns needed to be studied to allow for a safe, efficient work environment while keeping traffic volumes moving during construction.
An unprecedented amount of community involvement had to be successfully managed during the public consultation process due to the project’s proximity to residential neighbourhoods.
A huge amount of high-quality design work had to be completed quickly and in a way that minimized construction costs.

Solutions

Initiated major innovations that minimized material use and shortened construction times.
Provided integrative and detailed design of highways, municipal roadways, drainage and stormwater management, road bridges, land tunnels, construction staging, electrical and advanced traffic management systems, urban design, and landscape architecture.
Collaborated to produce seven public-information open houses and numerous workshops with agencies, stakeholders, and municipalities to provide information and obtain feedback on different project elements.

Highlights

This was the first use of NU girders in Ontario.
Construction on the parkway started in 2011, and generated approximately 12,000 jobs.
Business opportunities were created for local and regional companies, attracting new investment and supporting existing industry.

Project numbers

C$1.4 billion construction cost
5 year construction period
350+ consultants and technical specialists on the team
11 km of a six-lane extension of Highway 401
12 tunnels with a total length of 1.8 km
14 new overpass structures
12 signalized intersections
10 pedestrian crossings
20 km of recreational trails