A long awaited project to improve north-south traffic in Windsor begins Monday.
Southbound Dougall Ave. will be reduced to one lane between Ouellette Place and South Cameron Blvd. for about three months.
It is part of the Dougall Avenue/CN Rail underpass and multi-use trail.
The time will be used to punch a hole and build a tunnel through the embankment that supports the train tracks and installing cycling infrastructure, along with sidewalks on both the east and west side.
Speaking on AM800's the Lynn Martin Show, Bike Windsor-Essex Executive Director Lori Newton says this is good news for everyone.
"It is not just cyclists who are thrilled, it is everyone should be pleased. This is a long time coming, we have been waiting and waiting and advocating and pushing, we know that there were certain things that the city couldn't get passed," she says.
During the work, the rail company has also agreed not to run a train for 72 hours to allow the 'hole' through the embankment.
Newton calls it short-term pain for long-term gain.
"For the safety of people who are walking and cycling and for motorists as well because the road itself will be much safer, it is a really good news story. We are thrilled," she says.
The lane reduction will continue until late November 2019.
Lori Newton says this is long overdue.
"We are working with infrastructure that was built for cars so there is a lot of work involved so we spend billions on our roads to facilitate car driving and the amount we spend on vulnerable road users is nothing in comparison," she says.
The cost of the project is $8.9-million.