It still will have to be approved at budget time, but Windsor city council has signed off on a partial fix for traffic troubles on Banwell Road near the E.C. Row Expressway.
Council okayed hiring a firm to design a roundabout at Banwell Road and Mulberry Drive, just a short distance north of the expressway.
City engineer, Mark Winterton says the environmental assessment was done for Banwell between Tecumseh Road East and the Tecumseh town line, and the roundabout is just one piece of a larger project.
"We have issues at Mulberry... in terms of capacity," he said. "The issues related to E.C. Row at Banwell will require a grade separation to solve. That's to the magnitude of $30-million."
Unfortunately, that is not money the city can afford to fork out on one project, so eventually, it will have to apply for funding from senior governments.
The intersection of Banwell and the expressway is not only one of the busiest in Windsor but is also one of the more dangerous spots for accidents according to a report to council two years ago. The report looked at the latest statistics available at the time. In 2013, there were 125 crashes at that intersection, the most in Windsor.
The roundabout would improve the flow of traffic headed to and from the expressway, and Winterton admits the grade separation at the bigger intersection may still be a few years out.
"Until we have the environmental assessment we can't even take that first step to apply for grants," explained Winterton, who added there is no senior government funding program to apply to right now. "We have to have these projects ready to go."
Construction on the roundabout, if it is approved, could start next year.
