Ontario to spend $50M on Windsor-Essex highway projects, including Banwell Road interchange
Premier Doug Ford has announced $50 million of funding to build a new interchange at Banwell Road and E.C. Row Expressway.
The announcement was made this morning in Windsor, where Ford was joined by MPP for Windsor-Tecumseh Andrew Dowie and Ontario's minister of transportation Prabmeet Sarkaria.
The money being announced today is part of Ontario's investment of more than $28 billion in highway, road, and bridge projects over the next 10 years.
"By widening Highway 3 and building the Banwell and Lauzon Parkway interchanges, we're building the transportation infrastructure needed to tackle gridlock and support the region's growing economy," Ford said. "While previous governments ignored the province's infrastructure needs, we're getting it done for Windsor-Essex by getting shovels in the ground."
The Ontario government has said that the Banwell interchange will improve access to Canada's first electric vehicle battery plant while also supporting supply chain businesses across Windsor and the new Windsor-Essex hospital.
Busy commutes
Highway 3 has up to 17,300 vehicles travelling between Essex and Leamington each day.
The expansion of 15.6 kilometres of Highway 3 from two to four lanes will also include the widening of five existing intersections, the addition of traffic signals to three other intersections and resurfacing existing lanes.
In June 2023, Ontario announced plans to support a new interchange connecting Highway 401 to the future extension of Lauzon Parkway in Windsor.
The interchange is expected to provide better opportunities for trade, as well as better access to the Detroit-Windsor border.
"Our government is proud to deliver game-changing projects that will get drivers in Windsor-Essex where they need to go, faster than ever," Sarkaria said. "We will continue to invest in infrastructure that creates meaningful jobs and saves families and businesses time and money."
Dowie added that the project is long overdue.
"This project has been needed for over 30 years, and I couldn't be happier to see that the Ontario government is finally delivering it," he said.
