An alley near you might be getting a face lift
The municipality is fixing up alleys around Windsor through an alley enhancement program
The City of Windsor is in the midst of fixing up some of its alleys through an alley enhancement program, which will continue until the money runs out, the city says.
There are eight completed so far, with another three to go.
Sarah Cipkar — community development coordinator with the Downtown Windsor Community Collaborative — said she was thrilled when she came across an alley near University Avenue and Pelissier Street that was being repaved.
"Our alleys are a really neglected piece of infrastructure in our city ... a lot of people use them to cut through in the downtown in different neighbourhoods and so when there's huge potholes, or when they're not being taken care of, they collect water, they collect debris," she said.
"It just really brightens the space up and helps it to feel a little bit safer, a little bit cleaner which I think is really important for our downtown right now."
Am I the only one who gets excited for alleys being repaved?!? <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/thelittlethingsmatter?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#thelittlethingsmatter</a> <a href="https://t.co/WGqWPKH8Uy">pic.twitter.com/WGqWPKH8Uy</a>
—@CipkarSarahShe added that last year at budget time, a collective of Ford neighbourhood groups came together to advocate for alley maintenance.
$250,000 for alleys
Phong Nguy, a manager with public works, said the goal of the enhancement is to make alleys safer, particularly for garbage pickup trucks in commercial pickup areas.
He explained the $250,000 has been allotted for alley improvements, which includes taking care of potholes, tree trimming, fixing gravel and repaving, depending on the various needs of the alleys.
The repair costs per alley vary depending on how much work is required, Nguy said.
"Some of them have potholes, some of them have rut, some of them have depression, some of them, the base is gone, so it really varies between alleys to alleys."
He explained the money was introduced in the budget this year and that improvements will continue until the money runs out.
The City of Windsor has completed work on the following:
- Caron Avenue / Janette Avenue / Park Street West / Wyandotte Street West
- Bruce Avenue / Janette Avenue / Wyandotte Street West / Elliott Street West
- Parent Avenue / Langlois Avenue / Erie Street East / Giles Boulevard East
- Parent Avenue / Langlois Avenue / Cataraqui Street / Niagara Street
- Howard Avenue / Louis Avenue / Elliot Street East 'H' Alley
- Ouellette Avenue / Pelissier Street / Wyandotte Street West / Maiden Lane
- Ouellette Avenue / Pelissier Street / Maiden Lane / Park Street West
- Ouellette Avenue / Pelissier Street / Park Street West / University Avenue West
Remaining to be completed:
- Victoria Avenue / Pelissier Street / Chatham Street West / University Avenue West
- Victoria Avenue / Pelissier Street / Park Street West / Wyandotte Street West
- Pitt Street West / Chatham Street West / Ferry Street / Post Office
Check out the map of where the specific alley projects are located. Purple lines indicate completed projects.
There are additional alleys that need paving, Nguy explained, but the locations chosen for now are based on a priority list, which was set after inspections were done in partnership with the city's environmental division.