Windsor

Windsor's waterfront sidewalk is sinking

Mike Clement, manager in the parks department, said the sidewalk by Dieppe Gardens is in such urgent need of being replaced, the city decided to move up the project by a year.

Repairs to sinking sidewalk expected to cost an estimated $850,000

The path along the river all the way across Dieppe Park has been fenced off because of safety concerns and benches near the base of Bruce Avenue have been blocked because of unstable ground. (Peter Duck/CBC)

A large section of Windsor's waterfront is sinking, causing city staff to accelerate scheduled repairs by a full year.

The river pathway, which also runs along Dieppe Gardens, has been blocked off with fencing because of safety concerns, according to Mike Clement, the city's park manager.

"It's over 50 years old, and it was starting to drop in sections," he explained. "This had been going on for a while, but it had gotten worse."

Benches along Windsor's waterfront are fenced off because of unstable ground. (Peter Duck/CBC)

With warm weather coming and the problem only getting worse, the city sped up plans to replace the whole sidewalk. The project will cost about $850,000 and is scheduled to be finished by June, Clement added.

A few blocks to the west, near the base of Bruce Avenue, half a dozen benches have been blocked off since last fall because of unstable ground.

Clement said the city is taking its time deciding what to do with the site, which has been the subject of several political discussions.

"There's a number of things that have been proposed for that location," he explained, mentioning a marina and underpass as examples. "We're kind of going to react to whatever happens there. If we have to, we'll do temporary fixes in those areas."