The County of Essex has formally asked the Ontario Ministry of Transportation for $60 million to complete upgrades to the County Road 22 and Manning Road intersection.
Warden Hilda MacDonald and CAO Sandra Zwiers met with Transportation Parliamentary Assistant Ric Bresee at the Rural Ontario Municipal Association (ROMA) conference in Toronto on Monday, seeking provincial support for a grade-separated interchange at the intersection of County Road 22 and County Road 19/Manning Road.
Speaking on AM800's The Shift with Patty Handysides, MacDonald said gridlock at the increasingly congested intersection, currently serviced by traffic signals, will only get worse once the new acute care hospital opens and full production gets underway at the NextStar battery plant.
"We're expecting lots of growth there. Industrial, commercial, and residential. So, it's not that we're going to be ahead of it, but, at least, be aware that we already have a problem and if they're saying build more homes, build more homes et cetera, et cetera, we have to manage that and not let it sit on the shelf," she said.
MacDonald said the plan called for the construction of an overpass with an estimated full cost of $105 million.
"An overpass would be ideal so you could keep one way going without needing the extra lights. We'll see what happens. That's the plan, that's what we presented," MacDonald said.
MacDonald said this was their fifth pitch to the province.
"We felt really positive. We went in with a video so they could see the level, visual is always better. We did come away feeling quite positive, perhaps more so than ever before, so I don't think we're wrong. We'll see how it goes," she said.
The county is seeking $60 million in the next provincial budget to expedite construction of the infrastructure project and is prepared to complement that provincial contribution with a $45 million investment of its own, while still completing other key projects in that area, including the continued widening of County Road 42.