The deputy mayor of Essex says the province has notified the town it is making expanding Hwy. 3 to Cameron Side Rd. a priority for 2017.
Richard Meloche says the Ministry of Transportation notified town officials about a month ago.
A spokeswoman for the ministry says a dollar figure has not been assigned to the project yet because the province is still in the early planning stages.
Timelines are also uncertain.
"Now, we haven't been promised that it would happen in 2017," Meloche says. "But, it's been touted that there's potential for it to happen in spring of 2017."
He says the project will be quite extensive and if it happens, will come at a good time for the town. It will involve building an overpass for traffic on Victoria Rd.
"The town just recently purchased property for a new sports complex on the other side of Hwy. 3, so, it'll give pedestrians the opportunity to have a safe way to get there," he says.
The Town of Essex, along with officials from Essex County, Leamington and Kingsville, have been lobbying the province hard for continued expansion along the highway which has seen numerous fatal accidents.
Meloche said when Transportation Minister Steven Del Duca toured the stretch last August, he got a clear understanding of how important it is to continue work along Hwy. 3.
"He was surprised how dangerous the road was," he says. "They had several instances themselves when they were travelling down the highway where it was a 'holy smokes' moment."
Eventually, county and municipal officials in southern Essex County would like the highway expanded to four-lanes straight through to Hwy. 77 in Leamington.
