After months of delays, drivers in the west end of Windsor will finally be able to use the new roundabout on Riverside Dr. W and University Ave. W this weekend.
City Engineer Mark Winterton says the base asphalt went down Thursday, and on Friday, the signs are being installed and lines painted. Barring any more complications, the roundabout is expected to open to traffic Saturday afternoon.
"The base asphalt is down. Sometime next year we'll come in with the surface asphalt," says Winterton. "That will be done sometime next year. Probably a day or so closure just to complete that work."
However, while the roundabout will open to traffic, not all the work is done.
"There's still, obviously, the installation of the artwork that will happen in the spring. And additional [archeological] work that we did not complete," says Winterton. "We're going to kind of recircle our wagons and figure out how to complete that work."
While Winterton is not sure when the archeological dig will wrap up, he is confident it will significantly add to the project's $850,000 price tag. Previously, he told BlackburnNewsWindsor.com the excavation could add another $100,000 to the cost.
"We don't have all the numbers together, and since it isn't done yet we haven't reported back to [city] council, other than to say it is going to cause a significant overage to our budget," he says.
Meanwhile, a decorative arch has also been approved just east of the roundabout. That could be complete by the summer of 2018.
