Rt. Hon. Herb. Gray Parkway
The Rt. Hon. (Right Honourable) Herb Gray Parkway is one of Ontario's largest transportation infrastructure projects, providing a critical connection between Highway 401 and the Gordie Howe International Bridge. The 11 km transportation corridor improves the movement of people and goods between Canada and the United States while reducing congestion, enhancing safety, and improving quality of life for surrounding communities.
ACCIONA, as part of the Windsor-Essex Mobility Group (WEMG), delivered the project through a public-private partnership that included the design, construction, financing, operation, and maintenance of the Parkway. The project features a six-lane highway, extensive cut-and-cover tunnels, grade-separated interchanges, and a parallel road network designed to separate local and international traffic while maintaining efficient transportation throughout the Windsor-Essex region.
Construction required complex staging and traffic management to maintain traffic flow along existing Highway 3 while the new transportation corridor was built. Innovative construction methods enabled major earthworks, bridge construction, utility relocations, and tunnel installation to proceed safely while minimizing disruption to motorists and neighbouring communities.
The Rt. Hon. Herb Gray Parkway demonstrates how major transportation infrastructure can successfully integrate mobility, environmental stewardship, and community connectivity. More than 120 hectares of landscaped green space, approximately 25 km of multi-use recreational trails, extensive habitat restoration, and advanced intelligent transportation systems create one of North America's most environmentally integrated highway corridors while improving cross-border trade, enhancing safety, and supporting long-term economic growth throughout the Windsor-Essex region.
GENERAL PROJECT INFORMATION
- Client: Infrastructure Ontario and the Ontario Ministry of Transportation
- Location: Windsor, Ontario
- Contract Type: Design-Build-Finance-Operate-Maintain (DBFOM)
Contract Value: $1.4 billion - Project Team: Windsor-Essex Mobility Group (WEMG) – ACCIONA Concessions, ACS Infrastructure Canada, FlatironDragados and Fluor Canada
- Project Status: Completed in 2015
PROJECT SCOPE
- Approximately 11 km six-lane highway connecting Highway 401 to the Gordie Howe International Bridge corridor
- Four-lane extension of Highway 3 and associated municipal road network
- Construction of 12 cut-and-cover tunnels
- Construction of 12 grade-separated bridges and overpasses
- Advanced Traffic Management System (ATMS), fibre optic communications network, traffic signals, CCTV, and variable message signs
- Approximately 120 hectares of landscaped green space and 25 km of pedestrian and cycling trails
INNOVATION & SUSTAINABILITY
The Rt. Hon. Herb Gray Parkway integrates transportation infrastructure with environmental restoration and community amenities to create a corridor that balances mobility with sustainability. Extensive landscaped green spaces, habitat restoration, protection of native species, and recreational trails were incorporated throughout the project to minimize environmental impacts while enhancing the surrounding community.
The project also incorporated advanced intelligent transportation systems, including a comprehensive fibre optic communications network, variable message signs, CCTV monitoring, traffic signals, and an Advanced Traffic Management System (ATMS) that improves safety, operational efficiency, and long-term corridor performance.
AWARDS & RECOGNITION
The Rt. Hon. Herb Gray Parkway received national recognition for excellence in public-private partnership delivery and engineering achievement, including:
- National Award for Project of the Year — Canadian Council for Public-Private Partnerships (CCPPP) National Awards for Innovation and Excellence (2016)
- Award of Excellence – Transportation — Association of Consulting Engineering Companies–Canada (ACEC-Canada) (2016)
Key figures
6,917,756
m3 of excavation
78,734
m3 of concrete for pavement
292,636
tonnes of tarmac mix
32,000
linear metres of concrete barriers
38,893
linear metres of prefabricated beams
105,000
m3 of structural concrete
17,850
tonnes of reinforcement frames
430,648
linear metres of electricity cables
34,407
linear metres of optical fibre
6,917,756
m3 of excavation
78,734
m3 of concrete for pavement
292,636
tonnes of tarmac mix
32,000
linear metres of concrete barriers
38,893
linear metres of prefabricated beams
105,000
m3 of structural concrete
17,850
tonnes of reinforcement frames
430,648
linear metres of electricity cables
34,407
linear metres of optical fibre
Our environmental impact
Social Impact
Construction of the Parkway began in 2011 and the network of the final stretch opened to traffic on November 21st, 2015. Construction of the Parkway created approximately 12,000 jobs through direct employment in construction activities, and indirectly through numerous service providers and suppliers. Most of these works were in the Windsor-Essex region.
Environmental Management
Sustainability and the environment play an important role in the project, given that service roads, 1.2 km2 of landscaped green areas and 25 km of hiking and biking trails are also planned for construction, with the aim of improving the environment and quality of life for local residents. This action programme includes environmental recovery, protection of indigenous species and restoration of the natural habitat.
Technology and innovation
A complete communication system and fibre optics
Construction included the supply and installation of electromechanical equipment, the Advanced Traffic Management System (ATMS) and traffic signals for the project, including the related civil works.
The works carried out for the ATMS installation included the implementation of systems for variable message signs (VMS and AAS), closed circuit television cameras (CCTV) and everything that makes up the infrastructure of a communication network, as well as the fibre optics throughout the development of the highway.