$18 Million Invested in Phase 3 of Lauzon Parkway Reconstruction

Mayor Drew Dilkens and Ward 8 Councillor Gary Kaschak announced the start of Phase 3 of the Lauzon Parkway Sewer and Road Rehabilitation project. The City of Windsor’s $18 million investment over the next twenty-four months will substantially rebuild Lauzon Parkway, one of the most utilized roads in the city’s network, where about 30,000 vehicles, including heavy trucks, travel daily on the way to or from the E.C. Row Expressway. 

Work is scheduled to start the week of June 24, 2024, with construction anticipated to be completed in December 2024, weather permitting, with the exception of boulevard restoration and infill concrete medians, which are planned to be completed by July 2025.

Phase 3 will focus on Lauzon Parkway from Hawthorne Drive to Cantelon Drive, and will be undertaken by J&J Lepera Infrastructures Inc. This phase of the multi-phase project will construct the following:

• New storm and sanitary sewers
• Upgrades to watermains at the Hawthorne Drive and Cantelon Drive intersections
• Installation of additional stormwater storage in underground pipes
• New pavement, sidewalk and multi-use trail, covering about 600 linear metres of work

All businesses will remain open during construction, but lanes will be reduced in both directions. 

This work in Phase 3 is part of a planned three-phase reconstruction and rehabilitation of Lauzon Parkway. Phase 1 invested about $2.6 million to fully rebuild the north and southbound lanes of Lauzon Parkway from Tecumseh Road East to Hawthorne Drive. Phase 2 invested about $5.5 million to rebuild the north and southbound lanes of Lauzon Parkway from the E.C. Row Expressway to Cantelon Drive. Each phase has included reconstructing lanes of concrete road, widening some parts to four lanes, installing an open-graded drainage layer beneath the road’s surface to improve drainage of excess water to minimize flooding and improve road performance, rebuilding the multi-use asphalt trail on the east side of Lauzon Parkway, and replacing the concrete sidewalk on the west side. The overall project began in 2021 after being fast-tracked due to the availability of funding advanced through the City’s Asset Management Plan.

For 2024, 57% of the City’s capital budget is committed to fixing and improving Windsor’s roads and sewers, investing $56.1 million in roads and $61.4 million toward upgrading the city’s sewers. The City’s 10-year capital plan, approved as part of the 2024 budget, will invest a total of $568.8 million in roads and $470.6 million toward upgrading the city’s sewers. 

This project is also part of the City’s $5 billion Sewer and Coastal Flood Protection Master Plan, which invests $180 million in underground infrastructure across 36 sewer construction projects throughout the city. The plan was created to set standards for the operation of the sewer systems and identify specific improvement projects that can be undertaken to both improve efficiency and reduce the risk of flooding caused by precipitation and extreme weather events. The total sewer length of all these projects will be almost 30 kilometres.

Quotes:

“We are continuing the transformation of Lauzon Parkway into one of our city’s premier motor vehicle and active transportation corridors with the launch of the third phase of this vital infrastructure project. Without question, this is one of Windsor’s most important roads and part of the province’s main economic corridor. The 2024 Ontario Budget recognized the importance of building a new interchange connecting Highway 401 to Lauzon Parkway to support increased opportunities for trade and better access to the Windsor-Detroit border. The investments we make here are paying off. Windsor is one of the most important cities to watch in Ontario and Canada. With large-scale infrastructure projects fuelling incredible economic and population growth, City Council is committed to investing in growth and fixing and rebuilding our roads and sewers to improve the quality, safety and durability of our transportation infrastructure as we focus on Building Windsor’s Future.” - Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens

“Lauzon Parkway is one of the busiest roads in Ward 8. It provides a key link to the E.C. Row Expressway from Tecumseh Road, Wyandotte Street and Riverside Drive. I am proud of City Council’s continued commitment to fast-tracking this project to rebuild Lauzon Parkway to make it safer and more reliable, above and below ground, for drivers, cyclists and pedestrians. Progress during the first two phases has made a big difference in this corridor, and I look forward to seeing the positive impact from this latest round of upgrades.” - Councillor Gary Kaschak, Ward 8