From the same annual report from 1962 came the following description of the photo above:
- Windsor’s new highway entrance, the Jackson Park Overpass. This modern, four-lane road is an extension of Ouellette Ave. running south over the C.P.R. tracks and relieving the extremely heavy traffic burden formerly carried by Dougall Ave.
51 years later and STILL no sidewalks…Way to get with the times Windsor!
When completed, golfers had to risk their lives crossing these lanes to go from the third green to the fourth tee at Woodall’s pitch and putt course. In winter we’d carry our skates and sticks over to play hockey on the frozen pond behind the fourth green. The end of Ouelette used to be a gravel road that ran about 250 yds. from Tecumseh Rd. to a turn-around in front of the Boer War Monument. To make way for the overpass, this Monument was moved to the Sunken Gardens. I think that Monument started off in front of the old Post Office?
That old pond is still there in the overgrown bush next to what used to be hyperspace. Warning, if venturing out there make sure you watch for poison ivy, it’s all over the ground.
NO money in the budget Dave LOL!!Jackson Park looks pretty barren
Dougall still has a heavy traffic burden
Maybe if we had a downtown in the centre of the city, with all our expansion going outwards (hopefully not overblown expansion) Our traffic problems would not be as great. Too bad we are at odds with our geography.
RE: no sidewalks…..Who’s gonna be walking around there anyway, what with the roaring traffic just inches from your nose, no overhead protection from blistering summer sun (trees all gone), cold winds howling down the overpass in winter, and not much to see? Just another concrete wasteland that ruined the peace and integrity of Jackson Park.
windsorite-in-exile… while brutally honest you have a point. there are a few brave souls who would benefit from sidewalks, and im by no means advocating to not install sidewalks here or on dougall.. but just because a road or street has sidewalks does not make it “walkable”.
I remember when that section of Ouellette and Tecumseh led only into Jackson Park and the right side of the street had nice older neat brick homes. The only way to get to the Dorwin Plaza then, was via Dougall Ave.
This photograph may be of interest as it shows the intersection of Ouellette and Tecumseh in 1918.
http://blogs.windsorstar.com/2011/03/15/rail-lines-on-ouellette/
The median is different, and the light post has a big ding in it, but otherwise, the overpass is almost unchanged. As for the rest of it, on either side, there seems to be a lot more trees. But the trees that are there in the old picture look a lot taller.
Also, that building on the right is gone.
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Lanny, you are correct about the original spot for the Boer War memorial. Now, it isn’t even a fountain and it the detials have never been replaced on it.
Last week I saw an older man with a walker trying to get on the overpass. It was horrible to see!
I agree Windsorshane that a sidewalk doesn’t make it walkable. I find it odd that inEurope theyhave pedestrian posts along many of their sidewalks to keep cars off the sidwalk. Yet we dont’ have them here. This would be a great place for them to be installed. When they refurbished the overpass, the sidewalk could have been added (suspended over the edge?) then. Just like when they re-did Dougall, they should have put in sidewalks and bike lanes.
Kind of shortsighted not to include sidewalks when it was being built. Even more so after all these years. I can kind of forgive those in 1962, they probably thought that in the future our rocket propelled space boots would alleviate the need for “walking” and “sidewalks”. It was the space age after all.