The Rt. Honourable Herb Gray Parkway project that was formerly known as Windsor-Essex Parkway is one of the largest completed P3 projects in Ontario. The total budget of $1.4 Billion provided access to the “new end-to-end border transportation system at Canada’s busiest land border crossing and premier trade corridor.” (http://www.hgparkway.ca/parkway-overview)
This important project is part of an international plan that includes an 11km Parkway, new inspection plazas at both sides of the border, the already shortlisted Gordie Howe International Bridge, and an American interchange that will link the cities of Windsor and Detroit by connecting the Canadian Highway 401 to the American Interstate 375.
For this project, Reinforced Earth Company Ltd. was retained to design and supply Retaining Soil Systems (RSS) retaining walls for more than 71 structures along the Parkway. The concept of this project planned to cross the City of Windsor with the least amount of disruption possible to its citizens. For this purpose the new road was entirely excavated, and more than 12 large overhead bridges (called tunnels) allow the continuity of the existing roads and creation of many new green areas and trails, naturalizing the hard surfaces of a busy Highway and creating useable recreational space.
On December 17, 2010, Infrastructure Ontario and MTO announced that WEMG had reached its financial close and signed a fixed-price contract with the Province. (http://www.hgparkway.ca/parkway-overview#sthash.7YLElwDz.dpufIn).
As part of this contract, WEMG is responsible for maintaining not only the road networks but the Parkway green space and trails. The contract with WEMG is performance-based. WEMG is a consortium of ACS Infrastructure Canada Inc., Acciona Concessions Canada, and Fluor Canada Ltd. Parkway Infrastructure Constructors (PIC) was under contract to WEMG to design and construct the Parkway. PIC is a joint venture of Fluor Canada Ltd., Dragados Canada Inc. and Acciona Infrastructures Canada Inc.
The 5 year construction plan was completed in December 2015.
