Construction on a busy road in Windsor is officially complete.
All six lanes on Lauzon Parkway are now open to northbound and southbound traffic as the final phase of work wrapped up.
Phase 1 began in 2021 and saw the reconstruction of the north and southbound lanes from Tecumseh Road East to Hawthorne Drive, while phase 2 saw work being done in the north and southbound lanes from the E.C. Row Expressway to Cantelon Drive.
The third and final phase saw the northbound lanes between Hawthorne and Cantelon being redone.
The work saw major improvements being made including reconstructing lanes of concrete road, improvements to drainage of excess water to minimize flooding, rebuilding the multi-use asphalt trail on the east side of Lauzon Parkway, replacing the sidewalk on the west side, among more.
Ward 8 city councillor, Gary Kaschak, says it was lengthy but needed construction.
"Certainly a terrific improvement for that area, not just new roads but some sewer work was done, and electrical work along the way. So, really an improvement, six lanes of terrific pavement for a very busy north/south stretch of Windsor now. It's a very important area in the east end to get to the south end of the city, or to connect up with the Expressway."
He says even though the road is now fully open, drivers need to be cautious.
"I know everybody likes to go fast on that road, it's a 70 km/h posted speed limit, and be careful now we've got a red light camera at Lauzon Parkway and Forest Glade Drive moving forward. But, it's an important north/south stretch of road."
He says the city will now look at making improvements on the south side of the E.C. Row Expressway.
"That would be south of the Expressway leading into Cabana, leading towards the new hospital, leading towards the new Lauzon Parkway interchange that will connect with the 401. So, Lauzon Parkway is not finished with by any means here moving forward, but the real busy part where most of the residents are - people are going to be happy now that it's over with."
The total cost of the three phases was $18-million. Roughly 30,000 vehicles and trucks use Lauzon Parkway daily to get to and from the E.C. Row Expressway.
Kaschak says the intersection of Lauzon Parkway and Cabana Road - formally known as County Road 42 - needs to be repaired.
He's anticipating some work to start in 2026 to prepare for the Highway 401 interchange at Lauzon Parkway.