No matter where you are driving in Essex County this summer, there is a good chance road work will impact your drive.
"With the continued growth of the population in Lakeshore, Tecumseh and beyond, those roads are getting to the point where you gotta look at building capacity," said County Warden Gary McNamara.
The County of Essex has approved a list of projects worth just over $2-million as traffic volumes increase, more people get from point A to B by cycling, and roads wear out.
McNamara said as soon as the weather improves to the point where the asphalt plants can operate, crews will be out.
"I would say at least late April, early May when those plants get ramped up and these projects are going to be ongoing," predicted McNamara.
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One project that will get underway this summer is the replacement of the bridge on County Road 42 over the Puce River. McNamara anticipates a three-month stretch where the bridge will be out of order.
"There will be a little bit of an inconvenience there as well because there will have to be some rerouting," said McNamara.
On County Road 34, the shoulders will be paved in two sections, from Malden Road to the Essex Town Limit and a stretch of two kilometres from County Road 45 near Ruthven.
"As you see roads being repaired, now you're starting to see shoulders being added that kind of separate cycling from the vehicle transportation network itself," McNamara explained.
A few years ago, the county made an $80-million commitment to prove accessibility for cyclists and pedestrians with its County Wide Active Transportation System, a network of almost 800 kilometres of road, trail and multi-use paths connecting all seven municipalities in the county.
The other projects are:
- County Road 18 will see road work from Highway 3 to County Road 29, and from County Road 34 to Graham Side Road.
- On County Road 20, a stretch of 2.5 kilometres will be rehabilitated from County Road 9 to County Road 50.
- County Road 21 will be torn up from County Road 20 to County Road 34.
- Crews will work on County Road 46 in two spots; from Myers Road to Mullins Drive, and from Highway 77 to the Rochester Townline.
