'Awkward' intersection near Windsor's mall being moved in $18M project set to start in June

Joe Furj said he tries to avoid it when he can.

That's the Windsor, Ont., intersection where Howard Avenue, Division Road and South Cameron Boulevard meet at strange angles — near the railway tracks, across from a Devonshire Mall entrance.

The Windsorite lives on Geraldine Crescent in the nearby Kenilworth Gardens neighbourhood, and calls the corner "frustrating."

"I don't like to go down that street because you'll be stuck there for half an hour sometimes, and it's just crazy."

The city is set to spend $18 million on a massive project that will seal off the forked intersection and move it southeast to Sydney Avenue near The Keg. A new road will be blasted through to Howard Avenue, and Howard and South Cameron will join. That means the small, angled portion of roadway over the tracks will disappear.

Rendering of the large intersection relocation project near Devonshire Mall set to begin in Windsor in June, 2024. (City of Windsor)

Stacey McGuire said construction tenders are expected to be put out in late March, with shovels hitting the ground in June.

"I think anybody that lives in Windsor is really familiar with this area," said the city's executive director of engineering.

"There's a lot of really poor sightlines there. Our active transportation isn't well linked through that area. It's just a strange and awkward intersection, or series of intersections."

McGuire said the project's price tag includes "lots" of underground infrastructure — including a new water main and sanitary sewer system allowing for future development on the west side of Howard Avenue between Kenilworth Drive and Cabana Road.

Northbound traffic on Howard Avenue in Windsor is shown backed up waiting for the light to change near the Devonshire Mall. (Jacob Barker/CBC)

"This project is going to aim to realign the roadways so that it almost becomes one intersection, one main intersection, and then you have your separate entrance to the mall," she said.

Roseanne Peters lives in the Kenilworth Drive area, and said more and more vehicles are "speeding" through her neighbourhood to avoid large backups because of the intersection.

"No one can get across on Howard to get into Devonshire Mall. People are starting to use this area, and are speeding through Kenilworth to go out. The traffic has picked up here terribly."

Roseanne Peters lives near Windsor's mall and said more and more vehicles are speeding through her neighbourhood to avoid traffic congestion due to the intersection that is being changed. (Jacob Barker/CBC)

McGuire said the sheer size of the project will require a level of "patience" from the public as the work is being done — adding their aim is to finish construction before the holiday rush at Devonshire Mall in December.

"Over the course of this summer, you can definitely expect lane reductions. It could be down to one lane and both in either direction for a while. There will be some times when there may be day closures or a few-day closure in the intersection, where we may have to route traffic completely around, and that might be unavoidable, but we will definitely try to minimize that disruption as much as possible."

According to McGuire, access to all businesses in the area will remain open.

Sydney Avenue is where a built up intersection will connect Howard Avenue to Division Road near The Keg in Windsor, Ont. (Jacob Barker/CBC)

That's something Ted Kloske is happy to hear.

"I think that's a short-term pain for a long-term gain," said the manager of Henry's camera shop on Howard Avenue.

"It's a pretty congested area when the road forks there, and when a train comes along, it just backs up all the way to the E.C. Row. It's a mess some days."

"I think it's perfect. I think something has to be done."

Joe Furj lives near the intersection that is being relocated and hopes it helps cut down traffic backups. (Jacob Barker/CBC)

Furj, who admittedly "hates construction," feared the work could cause more traffic congestion.

"I can't even imagine what it would be like with construction there, so that'll probably cause a bunch of issues."