It’s going to take longer to complete the ceiling renovations inside the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel .
Tunnel president Neil Belitsky tells AM800 News they still do not have a firm date on when the work will be complete, but it will not be done by the end of the year.
“The reality is that the project is just a little bit more complex than anybody had anticipated, frankly because of the age and unique design of the tunnel,” says Belitsky.
Work on the 88-year-old tunnel began back in October 2017 and was originally to be completed by mid-June, then July, then October and then the end of December.
“Things in the field are not necessarily what they look like on the blue prints from that many years ago and so it's really beyond the fault of the contractor," adds Belitsky.
The original cost of the project was $22-million, and officials are not speculating on how much higher that bill will be.
City of Windsor officials tell CTV News they originally estimated a loss in toll revenue at $740,000, a number that will now climb.
The rehabilitation work has resulted in tunnel closures from 8 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. Sunday through Thursday, and it is frustrating commuters.
“It’s really frustrating you know that the tunnel is always closed when they're always promising that they're going to be open,” says Joe Monaco, who commutes daily from Windsor to Auburn Hills, Michigan for work.
The tunnel opened in 1930 and runs beneath the surface of the Detroit River.
About 12,000 vehicles use the tunnel daily.
The tunnel will stay open 24-hours a day from Dec. 23 to 25, but it will close overnight again on Dec. 26, 27 and 30.
Commuters are being asked to check the tunnel website or twitter account for closure updates.
