The City of Windsor is pushing ahead with the third phase of work on its Lauzon Parkway Sewer and Road Rehabilitation project.

Mayor Drew Dilkens and Ward 8 Councillor Gary Kaschak announced the start construction on this next phase of the work in June 17.

The road is among the most used in the city, with about 30,000 vehicles travelling the route daily.

Work is scheduled to start the week of June 24, with construction anticipated to be completed in December 2024 – with the exception of work to install boulevard restoration and infill concrete medians. Those are planned to be completed by July 2025.

“We are continuing the transformation of Lauzon Parkway into one of our city’s premier motor vehicle and active transportation corridors with the launch of the third phase of this vital infrastructure project,” said Dilkens. “Without question, this is one of Windsor’s most important roads and part of the province’s main economic corridor.”

Phase 3 work will focus on Lauzon Parkway from Hawthorne Drive to Cantelon Drive, and will be undertaken by J&J Lepera Infrastructures Inc. It includes new storm and sanitary sewers, watermain upgrades at the Hawthorne Drive and Cantelon Drive intersections, the installation of additional stormwater storage in underground pipes, and about 600 linear metres of work on new pavements, sidewalks and a multi-use trail.

The third phase of work is the final in the reconstruction and rehabilitation of Lauzon Parkway.

Phase 1 invested about $2.6 million to fully rebuild the north and southbound lanes of Lauzon Parkway from Tecumseh Road East to Hawthorne Drive, and phase 2 invested about $5.5 million to rebuild the north and southbound lanes of Lauzon Parkway from the E.C. Row Expressway to Cantelon Drive.

Each phase has included reconstructing lanes of concrete road, widening some parts to four lanes, installing an open-graded drainage layer beneath the road’s surface to improve drainage of excess water to minimize flooding and improve road performance, rebuilding the multi-use asphalt trail on the east side of Lauzon Parkway, and replacing the concrete sidewalk on the west side.

The overall project began in 2021.

For 2024, 57% of the city’s capital budget is committed to fixing and improving roads and sewers. This includes $56.1 million for roads and $61.4 million toward upgrading the city’s sewers.

The city’s 10-year capital plan, approved as part of the 2024 budget, will invest a total of $568.8 million in roads and $470.6 million toward upgrading the city’s sewers.

“Windsor is one of the most important cities to watch in Ontario and Canada,” Dilkens said. “With large-scale infrastructure projects fuelling incredible economic and population growth, city council is committed to investing in growth and fixing and rebuilding our roads and sewers to improve the quality, safety and durability of our transportation infrastructure as we focus on building Windsor’s future.”

Work on the Lauzon Parkway project is also part of the city’s $5 billion sewer and coastal flood protection master plan, which invests $180 million in underground infrastructure across 36 sewer-construction projects throughout the city.

The plan was created to set standards for the operation of the sewer systems and identify specific improvement projects that can be undertaken to both improve efficiency and reduce the risk of flooding caused by precipitation and extreme weather events.

The total sewer length of all these projects will be almost 30 kilometres.