Another delay in a series of delays when it comes to the completion of a construction project around Tecumseh Road East and Walker Road in Windsor.
The Tecumseh Road East infrastructure renewal project was scheduled to be completed by August, but the completion date is being pushed back again, with the completion date now set for the end of August.
In late June, ENWIN announced the project would be completed by July after additional repairs were identified to ensure the long-term durability of the roadway.
A release issued Tuesday by ENWIN says as part of the Windsor Utilities Commission's (WUC) ongoing infrastructure renewal program, Sterling Ridge Infrastructure continues construction on a new 1200 mm Central Corridor Feedermain.
Ward 4 Councillor Mark McKenzie says he hopes this latest delay is the last one and this doesn't turn into September or October at this point, calling it 'totally unacceptable,' given it was supposed to be done in Fall 2024.
"This construction at Tecumseh and Walker has dragged on far too long. What was supposed to be a manageable project has now turned into this drawn-out mess with no clear end in sight; the goalposts keep moving here," he says.
McKenzie says it's one of the busiest intersections in the city, and he's been hearing from people in his ward about the impact of the work.
"Delays here don't just inconvenience a few drivers; they literally gridlock entire areas, and people are trying to avoid that gridlock and the backups, so it pushes traffic into the residential streets and South Walkerville, so it's affecting thousands of people everyday." he says.
The utility says that two lanes of traffic are now open in each direction along Walker Road.
Additional road work at the Walker and Tecumseh Roads intersection is being completed while traffic and lane controls are already in place. Along Tecumseh Road East, traffic is reduced to one lane in each direction between Factoria and Byng, with no left turns permitted at Walker Road.
McKenzie says there seems to be a lack of coordination and oversight on this project.
"The thing that upsets me most is that there's no accountability. Who's being held responsible for the extended timeline? Who's ensuring that ENWIN meets these deadlines? Because right now it seems like no one, and that's one of the major problems as well," he says.
The current work is the continuation of a project that started in May 2024.
Along with the intersection, the work has impacted several surrounding roads during the course of the project, including Memorial Drive, Turner Road, Factoria Road, Milloy Street, and Chandler Road, all near the Met Campus of Windsor Regional Hospital.