The County of Essex, in partnership with the Town of Tecumseh, is inviting the public to weigh in as part of consultation on County Road 46.
They've retained BT Engineering Inc. to complete a Schedule C Municipal Class Environmental Assessment (MCEA) for improvements.
Specifically, they're looking at County Road 46 from Highway 401 to County Road 19, and Concession Roads 8 and 9 from County Road 46 northerly to the Town boundary.
The study will evaluate alternatives to improve the operation and safety of the roadways.
County of Essex Manager of Transportation Planning & Development Jerry Behl says they're in the very early stages of the process, and they want to do some consultation to hear from those who use these roads.
"We're seeing growth in the region and we think this corridor is a good candidate to look at operational efficiencies, possible capacity improvements, road safety, and possibly adding facilities for walking and cycling. So we're going to wrap this all up and hear what people think," he said.
Behl says things like additional lanes, bike lanes, and roundabouts are alternatives they'll be investigating.
Before getting deep into the process however, he believes it's important to make sure people have their say on what they want to see.
"We've got a lot of engineers and planners working on it, but it's important to hear how it impacts the public and the users. Do they want to see bike lanes on there? Is capacity the most important thing, or is road safety the issue? I mean, we've got good ideas, but let's hear from the people impacted as well."
He says these kinds of studies takes about two years to complete.
"That's the environmental study, we look at all the impacts to local residents, affected parties, the environment, and we consider alternatives. That takes about two years, then probably about another year to do the detailed design of the preferred option, and then you go out into construction," he said.
Behl says the public consultation process is vital to this study and they're encouraging anyone with interest in the project to provide input.
An in-person Public Consultation Centre is being held on Thursday, April 4 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Ciociaro Club, located at 3745 North Talbot Road.
More information can also be found on the County of Essex website.
- with files from AM800's Rusty Thomson