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Categories: Photo Du JourWindsor

Wyandotte Street Subway

Unsued in years and in disrepair, the Wyandotte Subway is due for demoliton and removal shortly. Unlike its neighbour to the east at Drouillard Road, which is being rehabilitated and was built with steam shovels, and other heavy machinery, this one was built by hand.

During the middle of the depression, in a effort to create work for the enemployed men of Walkerville, the town of Walkerville, started to build a subway under the Pere Marquette railroad tracks just east of Walker Road. The entire thing was dug by hand with shovels.

Starting August 13th, Wyadotte Street closes from Walker to Cadillac for the removal of this underpass, and the refurbishment of the Drouillard Road one.

More of our local history gone. Hey, maybe if things keep going the way they are going now, we can build another one as a new make work project…

Andrew

View Comments

  • Thanks Andrew. For all the thousands of times I've driven by there, that's something I never knew.

  • Hello!!! so Andrew when will they get rid of this and start building a new one??
    i know it is not safe, every winter they always warn people about the ice that forms at the tops and it can get pretty sharp and can fall on people, while walking under.
    Well it is probably a good idea because it can calapse, you never know? and i can tell there was a stair case there a long time ago.... well i guess we will be taking riverside or seminole rd more when construction starts.....thanks for posting that Andrew !!! have a good day!!!

  • Why wouldn't this qualify as a rails-to-trails opportunity? If Ford City were on the upswing, wouldn't this make a great link to the river. If abandonned what would becomes of the right-of-way?

  • I hope it becomes a real streetscape -- I fear it'll look like what happened when they curved and widened Tecumseh in the west end. What a sprawling wasteland in the middle of the city, with streets like Wellington cut off. Good for traffic maybe, bad for urbanity and a livable city.

  • Shawn, who wants a liveable city? Surely not our illustrious mayor and the inept city councillors! They have done everything and anything to stifle growth of this community.

    I wonder what will happen to the two plaques that are mounted on the bridge (one of which Andrew posted). I bet they get thrown out too!

  • ME - Don't worry, I've taken steps to ensure that they will be removed and preserved. Hopefully one ends up at the Museum.

  • Those tracks go to Fords (pardon the Windsor pronunciation) don't they? Isn't that private property?

  • Fausto I have no idea. I think it was an industrial spur that once served Studebaker and Ford.

    I imagine that Conrail or CSX whoever accquired the Pere Marquette Railway would still own the ROW. However just a guess...

  • Well maybe they can use the dirt they dig out on Walker road to fill this underpass?

    For some reason I can't get a particular scene out of my head from an old movie, "Cool Hand Luke." :)

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Andrew

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