Gordie Howe bridge construction crews unearth historic streetcar rails and ties in Windsor

Construction crews in Sandwich Town on Windsor's west side have unearthed rails and ties believed to date back to the turn of the century from the Sandwich, Windsor, and Amherstburg Railway Company (SW&A), the first ever Canadian electric streetcar system.

The Sandwich Town BIA posted a picture online of the artifacts gathered in a pile along Sandwich Street as workers continue to dig up more this week.

"It's pretty neat to see them pop up," exclaimed Sandwich Town BIA Director, Stephen Hargreaves. "When we have the construction finished, we're also integrating some of them into the crosswalks to pay homage to when we had the rails running through Sandwich."

Construction crews on the site in Sandwich Town on August 8, 2024 (Chris Campbell/CTV News Windsor)

Hargreaves explained the earliest ancestor of the SW&A, the Sandwich and Windsor Passenger Railway Company, began in 1872, but that these lines are likely as new as 1901, noting it's exciting to see the history excavated.

"I'm kind of a nerd and I've looked up a lot of this stuff. I think part of my duty here is not only to encourage the future of Sandwich, but also to understand the past and respect that past as we move forward, especially in such exciting times right now. Even though we're moving into "New Sandwich", we still have to remember it is still Old Sandwich Town."

Hargreaves noted businesses remain open as Sandwich Street reconstruction continues as part of the Gordie Howe International Bridge Project.

"We are absolutely open seven days a week," stated Barrel House owner and BIA member, Jaden Plaunt who has been watching the work unfold.

"It's super cool to see the history of the neighborhood kind of come out. It is one of the most historic neighborhoods in Canada, let alone Ontario and to see those rail ties in the past and everything they're unearthing under there, to see something like that unearthed, it's super cool."

Plaunt told CTV News that business owners remain optimistic customers will continue to show support during construction, adding many are eager to see what else is revealed during the excavation process.

"We're going to have a beautiful roadway with bike lanes that tie right into the new bridge with the Gordie Howe project," Plaunt said. "That is going to drive a lot of traffic down here when it's done. So we're looking forward to that."

According to the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority, just over three kilometres of Sandwich Street will be reconstructed as part of the project.

Sandwich Street reconstruction started in September 2023 and is taking place in a phased approach with the goal of full completion in 2024.

Phase One is currently underway and includes Sandwich Street from the Perimeter Access Road surrounding the Canadian Port of Entry to the Ojibway Parkway intersection. It includes re-paving of the roadway, installation of a storm sewer, ditch filling and construction of an asphalt multi-use path, which will eventually connect into the Canadian Port of Entry. This work is nearing completion and is anticipated to reopen to traffic in the coming weeks.

Phase Two is also currently underway and includes Sandwich Street from Ojibway Parkway to Chappell Avenue. It involves re-paving of the roadway, sidewalks and construction of an asphalt multi-use path. Phase Two work began in September 2023 with the section between Essex terminal Railway (ETR) and Chappell Avenue being completed in December 2023. Work in the remaining section between ETR and Ojibway Parkway is currently underway. Reconstruction of the southbound traffic lanes is nearing completion with a traffic shift anticipated to occur in the coming weeks to allow reconstruction of the northbound lanes to begin. Two-way traffic is being maintained throughout this work.

Construction crews on the site in Sandwich Town on August 8, 2024 (Chris Campbell/CTV News Windsor)

Phase Three includes Sandwich Street from Chappell Avenue to Chewett Street and includes asphalt paving and sidewalks, the addition of new bicycle lanes and enhanced streetscaping within the Sandwich BIA district from Brock Street through Detroit Street. Work in this phase began in June 2024 and is anticipated to be complete by the end of the year.

"It's pretty fantastic," said Mary-Lou Gelissen, a local history and genealogy librarian with the City of Windsor.

"I love it," Gelissen continued. "People complain about all this construction. It's like, well, if you're going to complain about the streets in the condition they are, this is a chance to change that. It's good. But you also get to learn about what was here before. So the rail ties are an example of a much different time in our history when Sandwich was a lot more prosperous and the urban center was very different."

She added, "It's actually really interesting to see what they're doing and look, it's not very clean, it's dusty, but you're going to get that at any kind of archeological or any kind of construction site. But if you, for example, have a kid that loves trains, I mean, you could sit down and say, this was the first place where streetcars ever happened. You know, electric street cars. So why not? Why not take the advantage of sharing that information with them?"