I recently paid a visit to the newly leveled Wyandotte St. section just east of Walker Rd.
Then
Now
It sure looks funny to see that underpass gone.
However as you can see by the two photos above, your tax dollars are hard at work, and nothing but the highest quality sidewalks were installed. 
I’m sad to see the underpass gone, honestly. Had a little bit of charm to it being that there are few roads in this city with elevation changes. Do you have a date on the first photo? Looks like it’s from way before they even began tearing off the brick from the old distillery storage building to do Club Lofts.
I don’t know why it need to be removed, seems like a make-work project — a solution without a problem, etc.
I like that the north railing is left in place….a sort of remnant. People will go by in a few years and say “this was the edge of the underpass.”
westerntragedy, the first photo an oldie…
It was taken April 9, 2004. But out of all the photos I took of the underpass over the years, this was the only one that matched up with the ones I took on my “after” visit.
I can tell you why they didn’t put good sidewalks in. First part is because the under pass, and just in case it starts sinking or of that sorts, that it will be cheaper to replace that type of sidewalk, then a cement one. Also they laid the road and sidewalks in mid-November, and they would never have cured in time if it was cement.
To Shawn M…
Two good reasons to level the area and take out the underpass: The main one is that the bridge, long abandoned with nothing but grass and weeds on top was a favourite gettaway route for thieves bringing their booty from more westerly neighbourhoods to the Drouillard Road area. They could always get over the bridge without being easily detected and without fear of someone following after them.
If you ever got stuck at the light on Walker Road in the winter with a standard transmission it was quite a task to get going; either straight through or to turn south onto Walker.
Choked sidewalks posed quite a danger to pedestrian traffic as well.
Good points.
Another I’ve thought about: Accessibility. I’m sure getting from one side of that former underpass to the other was a chore for those with mobility issues, ie. wheelchair.
I don’t think manual transmissions were the reason. Jsut think of all the cities that have hills. There are a lot of people with manual transmissions in places far more “hilly” than Windsor.
I had thought the bridge was taken out because it was falling apart? What I don’t understand is why they even filled it in? Why not just remove the bridge? I am sure filling it in put the price tag much higher.
I don’t believe it was a make work project either (tearing it out). If that was the case, the King would already be working on the second span bridge by now instead of stalling it for 5 years.
The accessibility point makes sense. It was likely too steep for scooters and wheelchairs.
Not to argue other points unnecessarily (though this is the blogosphere after all!) but M.O.M.>
The Getaway route sounds like fear-mongering. Like when 500 watt yellow sodium vapour lights are installed in otherwise idyllic public spaces, or the lowest 6 feet of trees are pruned — so thieves, criminals, can’t hide. Criminals are everywhere, etc. They’re not.
Re manual transmissions — I too learned how to drive “stick” in Windsor, and this hill was were you got a bit of a test. But after driving a manual here in Toronto (which has some good hills) as well as various European countries (some crazy hills that required the use of the parking brake not to roll back) it wasn’t such a big deal, and it made me a better driver.
I will admit a bit of infrastructure fetishism, so these old bridges, routes (weed choked or not) are somewhat romantic. More romantic than what is now a wide, boring stretch of arterial road. Perhaps there are plans to let people build, so some kind of streetscape could develop. Though Windsor isn’t so hot a market for new buildings right now — unless it’s big box.
A few reasons that I think they filled it in are:
Easier access for businesses along that stretch they can now put curb cuts in if required.
If traffic increases in the future it will be easier to widen the road or put in turning lanes.
IMO the old bridge and concrete walls gave it a Detroit look and not appealing I like the new look.
Just think of how much the abutting lands have skyrocketed in value! Isn’t the one parcel on the south side at Walker owned by a lawyers office? Hmmmmm.
Here’s a slideshow of the “progress” from demolition to rebuilding. I disagree with Guidos criticism of the bridge’s look, as I find downtown Detroit one of the best looking cities in the midwest. It also fills me with great sadness as it is a personification of “Lost Hope”
PS – What was the city thinking with that green colour they painted the refurbished Drouillard Road bridge in?!? Don’t they know that everything goes with black?
I got a riddle for you. How many city hall department heads does it take to change a light bulb? One. They’ll stand on the ladder with the bulb in their hand and try to make the world revolve around them.
I remember approaching the underpass with terror when I started driving a stick shift – and wondering how people in other, “hilly” places coped. I finally got rather good at negotiating the incline without burning out the clutch – and now it’s gone.
I’m completely disoriented looking at these photos!
Wasn’t this thing starting to flood near the end? I thought it was filled in because it’s cheaper to maintain and safer all around.
does anyone know why they never got rid of the underpass at Drouillard and wyandotte?
They need the overpass at Drouillard so the trains can get to the via station @ walker.
ok so why did they knock the walker and wyandotte one down?was it no longer in use?
The overpass at Walker Rd, was used by the Hiarm Walkers Railroad/Pere Marquette/C&O/CSX Railroad up until the early 90’s, then CSX pulled out of Essex County. As for the Drouillard Rd overpass, well that had to be cleaned up and structurally checked out, because its over 60 years old and was in need or some nice TLC. Not only was the bridge fixed, but the side walls were touched up, and a new coat of rust proof paint was applied. VIA Rail still uses the north track and some time CN Rail uses the South track to get to Hiarm Walkers. VIA does use the South track at Walker Rd, but only to the Wye (http://maps.google.ca/maps?f=q&hl=en&time=&date=&ttype=&q=Windsor,+Essex,+Ontario,+Canada&ie=UTF8&cd=1&geocode=0,42.317820,-83.033910&ll=42.323897,-83.006837&spn=0.003942,0.007296&t=h&z=17&om=0) to turn the engines at the station.
The Drouillard bridge/underpass is heroic 1930s depression civic infrastructure. If only they build things to that standard today.
Here’s a riddle, can anyone answer,using old maps, how long it took to build with true man power using picks and shovels. The old plaque on the underpass stated it was undertaken by 1931 Walkerville council, I have come across an aerial photo dated 1931 where it appears to have be completed, which would give it a duration of less than 12 months, pretty impressive considering the technology of the day.
I think the main reason for getting rid of the overpass was due to liability.Several people crashed their vehicles into those columns and were severly injured or killed. I think it was a liability issue and the city probably paid out a ton of moneyi in these accidents !!!
i received my one and only broken bone that the bottom that that underpass doing about 25 MPH on a bike LOL ….just glad the was a red light at walker or i wouldn’t be able to say this at all lol