There's a call for a community benefits plan for the Highway 3 widening project in Essex County.
The Windsor-Essex Community Benefits Coalition was successful in securing nearly half-a-million dollars for neighbourhood improvements with the Gordie Howe International Bridge and the group is hoping to do the same with Highway 3.
Chair Mike Cardinal says the goal is to give the surrounding community a voice.
"Helping people that are disenfranchised when it comes to this level detail and listening to them," he says. "The idea is that we can just facilitate some listening to what the grassroots are saying and neighbours tend to be experts on their neighbourhood. So some grassroots ideas can filter up."
Construction is underway on Highway 3 which will see the road widened from two to four lanes from Essex to Leamington.
Cardinal says it's important to get the wants and needs of residents in line now.
"Let's face it, when we're doing infrastructure improvements, doing them with what the citizens like at the time of building is an awful lot less expensive than trying to rescue a project afterwards and then going after more funding after the contracts are signed," he says.
Cardinal points out that big investments can have many unforeseen side effects.
"We used to just salivate over a large investment, but you're left with a toxic mess or a big mop and bucket to clean up afterwards," he says "This large investment coming in, obviously it's for private investment it's going to be profitable, but what would be the benefit to this community balancing the burden of hosting that kind of investment?"
There have been several fatal crashes on Highway 3 which, according to provincial numbers, sees as many as 17,300 vehicles each day.