Allan Rock says help is on the way for Windsor border

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WINDSOR, Ont. — Industry Minister Allan Rock has promised to remove truck traffic from Huron Church Road and Wyandotte St. in Windsor and provide trucks with better access to the border.

Although it’s not yet clear how much of the $600 million Border Infrastructure Fund will be allocated to improving the flow of truck traffic across the Windsor-Detroit border, there have been suggestions a significant portion of the fund will go towards the initiative.

"We have not calculated an amount at this point," says Rock. "We may be in the position to do that in the weeks ahead. We are not sure which comes first assigning a dollar amount or getting the plans in place. But rest assured Windsor will be getting a very substantial amount of the $600 million."

Windsor’s mayor and council have been complaining about the backup of trucks onto the city’s streets and even threatened a truck blockade earlier this summer.

"Those trucks have to be moved off those streets that were intended for residents, children, local businesses," Rock said on Wednesday. "They have to be given better access to the border because it is the lifeblood of the province and in many ways, the country."

On Aug 28, Rock was taken on a tour of the problem areas by helicopter, and then by car through the streets leading to the Ambassador Bridge.

"This morning I saw trucks backed up to Cabana Road, mid-morning on a weekday," says Rock. "I saw trucks on Wyandotte next to schools."

Projects being considered range from a new Windsor-Detroit bridge, redevelopment of the existing Ambassador Bridge or conversion of the railway tunnel to a truck traffic tunnel. Meanwhile, the city is hoping to receive funding to complete a traffic link from Hwy. 401 to Lauzon Parkway and E.C. Row Expressway.

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