It will be at least two years before any road work is done on Highway 3.
That was the message Essex County politicians received during a meeting with Ontario’s Transportation Minister on Monday during the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) conference in Ottawa.
Earlier this year while campaigning in the region, new Premier Doug Ford promised to make the widening of Highway 3 a priority. Ford told residents his party is 100 per cent committed to an immediate expansion.
Leamington mayor John Paterson tweeted out that he doesn’t know how much money is available to finish the widening project, and a decision was still two years away.
Minister of Transportation meeting on Hwy 3 widening done. Very aware of all the data we shared as a County. Cannot make a promise at this time. Not sure how much money they truly have. 2 year time frame for decision. We’ll keep lobbying. AMO 2018.
— Mayor John Paterson (@LeamingtonGuy) August 20, 2018
Essex County Warden Tom Bain tells AM800 News they walked out of the meeting with a mixed message.
“You hear those words that are very encouraging that they're going to go ahead with fixing these highways and moving number three to four lanes, then on the other hand you hear about how tight the budget is and there's not a lot of money sitting there, so in essence you really get a mixed message.”
The Premier did say in a speech to the AMO conference on Monday that his government will emphasize the need for infrastructure work on Ontario highways.
