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Twenty-four new buses, $ 51 million worth of sewer projects, $ 47 million of highway projects, the $ 8.4 million Legacy Beacon and dozens of new playgrounds are just a few of the improvements to be made. in 2022.
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“You’re looking at the 15th largest city in the country, there’s a lot to do,” city engineer Chris Nepszy said Wednesday, after citing a long list of capital projects that belong to departments, including transit, public works. , engineering and facilities. , sewage treatment – he is responsible.
“There is a lot to do and there is always more than you have money. This council has put a lot of focus on infrastructure and you have seen those investments being made and those investments continuing. “
The 2021 capital projects are part of a $ 1.7 billion 10-year capital budget that dedicates $ 510 million to roads and $ 454 million to sewerage. Of the $ 182 million to be spent next year, $ 51 million will go to sewer (28 percent), $ 47 million to highways (26 percent) and $ 26 million or 14 percent to parks and recreation.
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One of the most visible improvements is the replacement of 32 playgrounds in parks across the city at a cost of $ 9.4 million, said senior parks manager James Chacko. These will be installed in 2022 and 2023, and efforts will be made to keep the old playgrounds open while the new ones are installed.
“So there will certainly be construction at several of those sites and several of them were completed in 2022 and the rest will be completed in 2023,” he said.
Construction is expected to begin in early spring on the Legacy Beacon, approved by the council in October to house the restored historic No. 351 streetcar near the foot of Caron Avenue on the riverfront. The beacon will have a glazed tram gallery, restrooms, bicycle rental, terrace and cafeteria. And unlike the previous opposing proposal for Celestial Beacon to house the streetcar at the foot of Askin Avenue, it will comply with a city ordinance requiring that no structure on the north side of Riverside Drive be taller than the crown of the road.
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“The goal is for it to be completed in one year from the start of construction,” said Chacko.
Other parks and recreation projects in the works for 2022 include:
- Stodgell Park’s $ 460,000 renovation, with features such as a new parking lot, trails, lighting, benches, and trees.
- Construction of a new $ 600,000 restroom in Elizabeth Kishkon Park.
- Continuation of $ 4.8 million in restoration and anti-erosion work in and around Peche Island, owned by the city.
- New lighting along the riverfront walkway from the Ambassador Bridge to Askin Avenue.
- Completion of the new $ 7.2 million greenhouse complex in Jackson Park, with full operation expected to begin in September.
- A $ 450,000 replacement for the well-used splash pad at Fred Thomas Park, which will also receive one of 32 new playgrounds.
- $ 850,000 to renovate the nine worn tennis courts at the Lou Veres Tennis Center in Forest Glade, converting them into six tennis courts and 10 pickleball courts.
- $ 250,000 to initiate public consultations and groundwork on a redesign of Lanspeary Park, which is gaining several acres from the $ 350,000 demolition of its old greenhouses.
- Nearly $ 2 million in tree maintenance and planting, with 2,000 trees planted.
- McKee Park redesign in the west end.
- Design and build for the recently acquired Gateway Park, a linear park west of downtown between Riverside Drive and Wyandotte Street. The $ 700,000 worth of work should happen in 2022 and 2023.
- $ 1.2 million to rehabilitate various trails throughout the city.
- Begin environmental assessment and public consultations to move Sand Point Beach to a safer location to the east.
- A new playground and playground will be installed at the Adie Knox Recreation Complex, the first sign of a downtown-wide transformation for up to $ 42 million.
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Some of the larger projects Nepszy is handling include $ 14 million in major road works at Banwell Road, Cabana Road (part of an eight-year, $ 50 million expansion project) and North Talbot Road. You will also see:
$ 11.5 million dedicated to new pumping stations,
$ 6 million in improvements to the city’s two pollution control plants,
continuous installation of red light and traffic cameras throughout the city,
and a total of $ 46 million spent on highway projects, including $ 2.5 million for various ramps to EC Row Expressway, $ 5.4 million to rebuild eastbound EC Row from Dominion Boulevard to Dougall Avenue, $ 3 million to rehabilitate Lauzon Parkway between Forest Glade Drive and Cantelon Drive, $ 2 million for Ojibway Parkway from Broadway Street to Morton Drive, and road construction on sections of Ouellette Avenue, Josephine Avenue, Rooney Street, Lincoln Road, Langlois Avenue and Central Avenue.
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Nepszy said the city is also continuing “monstrous” investment under its sewer master plan, which envisions spending $ 5 billion over many years to combat disastrous basement flooding caused by massive storms triggered by climate change in recent years. .
About $ 160 million has already been approved, Nepszy said. The 2022 sewer master plan projects include $ 18 million in short-term and long-term solutions.
With the help of federal grants, the city is tackling sewer projects on Eastlawn Avenue, Florence Avenue, Matthew Brady Boulevard, and Menard Street in Riverside, as well as many other projects including work on some large pump stations and $ 10 million in rehab. sewer.
Nepszy is also high on a new stormwater financing implementation plan that explores alternative ways to finance future stormwater management needs, as well as new software for Transit Windsor to help schedule routes.
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Big 2019 projects include the Dougall Tunnel, roads, culverts, greenhouses, and off-road bike trails.
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City of Windsor Appoints New Municipal Engineer
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The city hopes to solve the tram dilemma by moving the location
One very large project that may or may not happen is an $ 88 million West Windsor Retention Treatment Basin, which is dependent on obtaining a $ 32 million federal grant from the National Disaster Mitigation Program. That RTB, which will be located near the Lou Romano wastewater treatment plant, would be a great complement to all the work being done under the sewer master plan, Nepszy said. He said that if the city wins the grant, design and groundwork could begin in 2022.
“That would be fantastic in terms of alleviating high water conditions and reducing the risk of basement flooding in that area served by the western main sewer, which is predominantly South Windsor,” he said.
Reference-windsorstar.com