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Province awards contract to widen and expand Highway 3

By June 1, 2023June 18th, 2023No Comments

Province awards contract to widen and expand Highway 3

Ontario Premier Doug Ford (left) shares a laugh with some graduates of the Construction Craft Worker Level 1 training program of LiUNA!625 in Windsor. Windsor-Tecumseh MPP Andrew Dowie (centre) looks on. PHOTO BY DALSON CHEN /Windsor Star

The long-awaited widening of a deadly stretch of Highway 3 in Essex County will soon become a reality.
During a visit to the Town of Essex on Thursday, Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced his government has awarded a contract to design, build, and finance the widening of Highway 3 between Essex and Leamington for $138 million.He also announced his government is procuring an environmental assessment and design for a new interchange connecting Highway 401 to Lauzon Parkway, a project Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens has advocated for years.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford announces a contract to widen and expand Highway 3 from Essex to Leamington during a news conference in Kingsville on Thursday, June 1, 2023. PHOTO BY TAYLOR CAMPBELL /Windsor Star

“This new contract marks an important milestone as we get it done by expanding and widening Highway 3 and connecting Highway 401 to Lauzon Parkway for the growing Windsor region,” said Ford. “Right across the province, our government is making historic investments in roads and highways to tackle gridlock, connect communities and build our economy.”
The Highway 3 project includes widening the highway from two to four lanes for more than 15 kilometres between Essex and Leamington. In addition, five existing intersections will be widened, traffic signals will be added to three intersections, and four side road intersections will be permanently closed in an effort to improve road safety. Existing lanes will also be resurfaced.“Highway 3 is vital to Leamington’s connectivity and economy,” said Leamington Mayor Hilda MacDonald, who is also the warden of Essex County. “That is why we are so pleased to see the Ontario government taking action to improve safety and access by awarding a contract to widen this critical piece of infrastructure. This will ensure residents remain able to travel to where they need to go while supporting good local jobs in our community.”

Essex Mayor Sherry Bondy echoed MacDonald in her praise for the project and called the highway’s widening a “vital” investment for the community.“This work will have a major positive impact on our ability to do business with regional and international partners,” Bondy said.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford announces a contract to widen and expand Highway 3 from Essex to Leamington during a news conference in Kingsville on Thursday, June 1, 2023. PHOTO BY TAYLOR CAMPBELL /Windsor Star

Widening Highway 3 from Essex to Leamington is one of 40 projects identified in the province’s draft transportation plan for Southwestern Ontario.GIP Paving Inc. was awarded the contract to widen the highway, which sees as many as 17,300 vehicles each day.Early project work and designs are currently underway. Construction is expected to begin in 2024.

Construction currently underway to widen Highway 3 from Maidstone Avenue to Arner Townline in Essex is expected to be completed this fall.

Ryan Rutger, general manager of Leamington’s Pure Hothouse Foods Inc. – which provides of greenhouse-grown vegetables – welcomed the news of the highway widening.
“We have a lot of trucks that leave our facility. … All of our trucks are travelling up and down that highway every day. The families that are on that road. Anything to make that road a little bit safer and to share the road, I think it’s a great Idea and I think it’s well overdue,” he said.
Windsor Mayor Dilkens has met with Ford and other provincial leaders multiple times in the last several years to push for an interchange connecting Lauzon Parkway and the 401. The interchange, he has said, would support a future Sandwich South industrial park.
That project is expected to cost upwards of $100 million.“Building a new interchange to connect Highway 401 to Lauzon Parkway will be a game-changer for the City of Windsor and I want to thank Premier Ford and Minister Caroline Mulroney for working with us to advance this important project,” Dilkens said.

“Home to a new battery plant and even more jobs, Windsor needs a reliable and connected transportation network to get people where they need to go. I am so pleased that this government is prioritizing building and improving infrastructure that will help our city thrive.”

Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens speaks during a news conference in Kingsville about an interchange connecting Lauzon Parkway to Highway 401 on Thursday, June 1, 2023. PHOTO BY TAYLOR CAMPBELL /Windsor Star

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