An effort to widen Highway 3 continues to be top priority for Essex County residents and politicians.
Warden Tom Bain tells CTV News he will be meeting with the Minister of Transport and Premier Kathleen Wynne about the dangers of the roadway next Tuesday Feb. 27.
“We are going to show economically how important it is,” says Bain, when referring to the project to widen the highway to four lanes from Essex to Leamington.
At the end of 2016, the province announced phase three of the widening of Highway 3. It was suggested the work could begin in the spring of 2017, but construction has not yet started.
Bain says he will be presenting the minister with a slideshow showing how dangerous the road is and the economic benefit to expansion.
“The number of transports that travel that road and the amount of goods that move from the Leamington greenhouse area to the United States,” says Bain.
The Warden raised concerns about the Highway 3 bypass during Premier Wynne’s town hall meeting in Windsor earlier this month.
The Premier said she would be happy to set up a meeting between Bain and the Ministry of Transportation.
The Mayors of Leamington and Kingsville first discussed the idea of focusing on the economic impact of the Highway 3 project during a chamber meeting in January.
“$3-billion of our goods in the greenhouse sector cross the border every year, how do we not make an impression?” said Kingsville mayor Nelson Santos.
The previous arguments to widen the highway have focused on safety.
Leamington Mayor John Paterson hopes this new idea will gain more traction.
