Windsor-Essex Parkway reaches financial close

The Windsor Essex Mobility Group (WEMG) has reached financial close and signed a fixed-price contract worth CAD 1.4bn (USD 1.38bn) with the Province of Ontario for the 11km Windsor-Essex Parkway, which includes 1.8km of tunnels.

The concession consists of the design, construction, financing and maintenance of the Parkway, which will link highway 401 in Canada with Interstate 75 in Michigan, by bridge, which will be independently built. The highway will have three lanes in each direction and will ease road traffic to and from the border, separate local and international travel and eliminate stop-and-go traffic in residential areas.

WEMG key partners include ACS Infrastructure Canada, Acciona Concessions Canada and Fluor Canada. It has agreements in place with local companies, including Hatch Mott MacDonald, Amico Infrastructure, Dillon Consulting, LEA Consulting, Black & McDonald and AMEC.

The Parkway will be delivered using Ontario’s alternative financing and procurement delivery model, which transfers most risks associated with designing, constructing and maintaining the Parkway to WEMG.

Beginning in January, WEMG will start design work on the Parkway, engineering survey work and soil investigations. Full construction is expected to start in summer 2011 with completion in 2014.