No light at end of Detroit-Windsor tunnel construction

Commuters will have to wait as there is no official end date to the ceiling construction on the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel.

A construction delay has tunnel officials on both sides of the border pushing their contractor to commit to an end date, which will be much later than the expected completion which was supposed to be in June. 

"It's an 87-year-old tunnel and it's the first time we're doing the ceiling," said Carolyn Brown, CEO of Windsor-Detroit Tunnel on the Canadian side.

Brown explained that once the ceiling was down, workers realized that the new hangers which would support the new roofing were larger than the hangers used previously. It means removing a central rack which houses important tunnel safety lines that include a fire alarm system and carbon dioxide monitors.

That rack was supposed to be removed before the ceiling work began, but a U.S. Detroit-Windsor Tunnel project manager decided to keep it in place, she said.

Completion past July

Those construction issues are standing in the way of a set completion date. 

"We're still duking that out with the contractor," said Brown. "The contractor will not commit to and end date until that centre rack is removed."

Despite the delay, Brown said work is continuing. Construction crews have began moving the important alarm lines and have started placing moulds that will be used to pour the tunnel's ceiling.

She said her board takes the position that this delay should not end up costing more money, because the work is "within the scope" of what was set out to be done. 

"Our board was pushing to get it completed by the end of July and the contractor said that's too ambitious and end date," said Brown.

The Detroit-Windsor Tunnel will be issuing a revised schedule for closing next week, said Brown. They expect to receive a committed date from the contractor by then.

Information can be found at http://www.dwtunnel.com/Ceiling.