Wednesday, October 18, 2006 · Page 2 Persistence pays off, Crozier says CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Construction on each phase will begin after the previous stretch of highway is complete because the ministry doesn't overlap contracts, Swim said. But Crozier said he'd like to see phases two and three constructed simultaneously, as they would be separated by the phase one corridor. "Now that the design has been started, I'd like to see it completed in about four to six years," he said. Joe Colasanti, owner of Colasanti's Tropical Gardens, said the new lanes will improve access to the county for tourists and provide a speedier route for greenhouse operators to get their trucks to the border. Essex County Warden Mike Raymond agreed the project will be important to economic development in the region over the next 20 years. "With our agri-business and wineries with people traveling back and forth it is very good for our county," Raymond said. With much of the 33 kilometres of highway construction being done on nights and weekends, there are no plans to include more traffic lights or road closures, with the exception of Inman Side Road, which runs next to Division Road. Swim said the new lanes can be added without interfering too much with existing traffic on the highway. ROOFING & SIDING BOOK EARLY! KEN-CO 776-8340 KEN COLENUTT Call for a FREE Estimate ALL WORK GUARANTEED DETROIT RIVER INTERNATIONAL CROSSING STUDY NOTICE OF CONSULTATION ACTIVITIES NEW INTERNATIONAL BRIDGE CROSSING PUBLIC WORKSHOPS NOVEMBER 2 & 15, 2006 YOUR INPUT IS IMPORTANT! Approximately 3.5 million trucks, 26 million travellers and $113 billion (USD) of goods flow across the Windsor-Detroit border annually. It is the busiest commercial border crossing in North America. Trade and cross border traffic is projected to increase well into the future, causing congestion and unacceptable delays. Reliable roadway connections, plazas and border crossings are essential for the safe and efficient movement of people and goods. Improvements are also needed to provide alternatives in cases of major disruption at existing border crossings. THE STUDY The Border Transportation Partnership comprised of Canada, the United States, Ontario and Michigan is moving forward with the route planning and environmental study for a new crossing of the Detroit River, connections to freeways in Ontario and Michigan and inspection plaza locations in both nations. The Ontario Ministry of Transportation (MTO), in coordination with Transport Canada, is leading the Canadian Environmental Assessment study and has retained URS Canada Inc. to assist in this undertaking. In November 2005, the Canadian and U.S. study teams announced the Area of Continued Analysis (ACA). Working with the community, the Canadian study team developed practical crossing, plaza and access road options within the ACA and presented these options at public open houses in March 2006. These options, including a cut and cover tunnel option for the access road, are being studied in more detail. The study team is collecting public feedback and conducting technical studies to assist them in determining the single preferred alternative in 2007. PURPOSE OF THE WORKSHOPS The workshops are part of the Detroit River International Crossing (DRIC) study's ongoing community consultation about the practical alternatives. Consultation to date has identified a number of ideas and suggestions regarding the aesthetic treatments of the practical alternatives for the bridge, plazas and access road. The upcoming workshops will focus on the general look and fit of a new international crossing, and will reflect consultation held to date with communities on both sides of the river. The workshops are being conducted as a drop-in format, with computerized workstations, hands-on drawing areas and artists on hand to help produce drawings of your suggestions for the physical preferences of a new crossing. The workshops will focus on developing general concepts related to the aesthetics of potential bridge types and will not examine specific crossing locations. Drawings and sketches of suggestions for a new crossing will also be on display for your review and comment. Elements of a new international crossing the study team is seeking your input on include: · · Bridge Crossing Type Bridge Crossing Lighting Treatment Options · · Bridge Crossing Theme Colour of the Bridge Crossing A CLASSICAL EVENING Violinists Lillian Scheirich, left, nd Konstantin Popovic of the Windsor Symphony rchestra perform for an audience gathered at Holy ame of Jesus Church Oct. 14. The baroque concert as the first of a series of performances the WSO will be laying across Essex County. The Bach Cello Concerto rchestra featured violins, violas, cellos, basses and arpsichord. The performances, sponsored in part by he Woodslee Credit Union, will be the first time the SO has taken an entire concert series to Essex County n its 59-year history. Workshop sessions have been arranged on both sides of the river. The format and content will be the same at both sessions. You are welcome to participate in either workshop. Your ideas are welcome! Workshop dates and times are as follows: Thursday, November 2, 2006 10:00 a.m. 8:00 p.m. IBEW Hall Please use Porter Street entrance 1358 Abbott Street (Near 6th Street and Abbott Street) Detroit, Michigan, 48226 Wednesday, November 15, 2006 10:00 a.m. 8:00 p.m. Cleary International Centre Canadian Club Room B 201 Riverside Drive West (Near Riverside Drive and Ferry Street) Windsor, Ontario, N9A 5K4 MERRI GERARDI FALL IS COMING! 1508 18/19 Side Road Woodslee, ON 519-723-4762 TO SCHEDULE A SESSION LE YOUR VEHIC HAVE INSPECTED COOLING HES SYSTEM FLUS For further information, contact: Mr. Roger Ward Senior Project Manager Ministry of Transportation Border Initiatives Implementation Group 659 Exeter Road, 2nd Floor London, Ontario, N6E 1L3 Tel.: 519-873-4586 Fax: 519-873-4789 Toll-free: 1-800-265-6072, ext. 4586 E-mail: detroit.river@ontario.ca Mr. Len Kozachuk, P.Eng. Deputy Project Manager URS Canada Inc. 75 Commerce Valley Drive East Markham, Ontario, L3T 7N9 Tel.: 905-882-3540 Fax: 905-882-4399 Toll-free: 1-800-900-2649 E-mail: info@partnershipborderstudy.com Mr. Mohammed Alghurabi Senior Project Manager Michigan Department of Transportation State Transportation Building 425 West Ottawa Street, P.O. Box 30050 Lansing, Michigan, 48909 Tel.: 517-373-7674 Fax: 517-373-9255 E-mail: alghurabim@michigan.gov Ministry of Transportation Border Initiatives Implementation Group Office 949 McDougall Street, Suite 200 Windsor, Ontario, N9A 1L9 Tel.: 519-973-7367 Fax: 519-973-7327 Michigan Department of Transportation Detroit Project Office 535 Griswold Street, Buhl Building, Suite 918 Detroit, Michigan, 48226 Toll-free: 1-800-880-8241 Detroit River International Crossing Windsor Project Office 2465 McDougall Avenue, Suite 100 Windsor, Ontario, N8X 3N9 Tel.: 519-969-9696 Fax: 519-969-5012 Mr. Joe Corradino DRIC Project Manager The Corradino Group 535 Griswold Street, Buhl Building, Suite 918 Detroit, Michigan, 48226 Tel.: 313-964-1926 Toll-free: 1-800-880-8241 E-mail: jccorradino@corradino.com Visit the project website at: www.partnershipborderstudy.com 519-726-5804 13121 Walker Rd., McGregor, ON. AUTO & DIESEL REPAIRS