A solution for the area known as the 'Dougall Death Trap' may be coming sooner rather than later.
The City of Windsor is proposing two solutions at once to solve the traffic bottle neck at the overpass at Dougall Ave. and the E.C. Row Expressway.
The first — which CN Rail has granted permission for — is a tunnel below the rail to accommodate a new multi-use trail.
The second, the elimination of the 'slip-by lane' that merges with Dougall Ave.
City Engineer Mark Winterton tells CTV Windsor the 'slip-by' has become one of the more collision prone spots in the city.
"Our statistics show that that is a high accident location. A lot of fender benders, rear enders that have caused us some trouble and we really think there's an opportunity to correct that," he said.
Winterton points out that this project has been a long time in the making.
"This is certainly a very exciting project for the City of Windsor. Something that's going on 100 years in the making," he said. "We think that this is something that will correct a large number of transportation issues and really connect the community north and south of the expressway."
Lori Newton with Bike Friendly Windsor-Essex addresses council at its first regular meeting at the new city hall building on June 4, 2018. (Photo by Ricardo Veneza)
Executive Director of Bike Windsor-Essex, Lori Newton calls it a win as they've been pushing for a solution to make the road safer for years.
Now that it's going to get fixed, we're really, really pleased," said Newton. "Bike Windsor-Essex has been advocating for this for years. It's about safety, it's about community safety, road safety and it's about safety for everyone who uses the road."
The city has issued a request for proposals with a deadline of mid to late January for companies to submit.
Winterton adds, if everything falls in place, council could discuss the plan during its 2019 budget deliberations with construction starting later in the year.
Consulting firm Stantec estimates the project cost at about $5.3-million.