Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling the proposal to create a new interchange connecting Lauzon Parkway and Highway 401 one of his government's 'highest priorities.'
Ford made the comment Thursday during a news conference in Kingsville as he detailed plans to support the City of Windsor by starting a procurement for an Environmental Assessment and design of a new interchange connecting Highway 401 to Lauzon Parkway.
The city has already approved an Environmental Assessment for the extension of Lauzon Parkway to the 401 and is exploring what will need to be done to service the vacant lands, expected to be a capital investment of over $100-million.
Ford was asked during his news conference how high of a priority the construction of the Lauzon Parkway-Highway 401 interchange is for his government.
"It's the highest priority, we're going to make sure we get it done. We're going to continue pushing, making sure we expedite the EA [Environmental Assessment] as quickly as possible."
The City of Windsor is asking the Ontario government to consider funding in its 2023 budget for a cloverleaf interchange linking an expanded Lauzon Parkway with Highway 401. Jan. 23, 2023 (Image courtesy of the City of Windsor)
Windsor mayor Drew Dilkens says in the platform for Windsor in the last provincial election, we raised this project as a priority.
"Because we knew being able to have access to Lauzon and 401 was critical to look at the next element of an industrial park for the City of Windsor, because once we landed the NextStar deal, LG told us, 'guys, get an additional 200-acres of land ready because there's 1,500 jobs that are going to follow in the supply chain'."
Dilkens says once we landed the NextStar deal, LG Energy told us to get an additional 200 acres land ready because there's an additional 1,500 jobs that will follow in the supply chain.
"We simply looked at our map, and we looked at a map in the county as well and said 'where are we going to put these folks? What land is ready, and available to go?' And so this is all planning, and making sure that we have land ready to go."
He says this connection will make it easier for everyone in Essex County to get to the new hospital once it's built.
"And you look at the Sandwich South lands, and you know that there was going to be at least a 2,000-home subdivision being built in the northwestern part of the Sandwich South lands. They too will have access to a huge interchange to be able to get to-and-from Windsor and Essex County, so on a number of fronts this is a priority project."
Dilkens adds this is really future thinking to get the project in the queue to get it funded and the absolute first important piece is to get the all important environmental assessment done to let construction proceed.
The undeveloped land in question is south of Windsor Airport, near the site of the planned Windsor-Essex Acute Care Hospital at County Road 42 and the 9th Concession, and directly south of the proposed $5-billion NextStar Energy EV battery production plant.