New roundabout expected to help ease congestion in area seeing expansion

A new roundabout is expected to help deal with an influx of traffic due to growth and expansion in the area near Windsor's EV battery plant.

The roundabout is located at the intersection of County Road 42 and BanwellRoad in Tecumseh. In addition tothe NextStar plant, it's also in the area of future housing expansion and the newWindsor Regional Hospital location.

County Warden Hilda MacDonald says the project is importantnot only in addressing local traffic in the region, butfor the EV sector overall.

"All the things that are coming in this area are incredible. So we need to maximize these economic opportunities of generational investments like the battery plant and our new hospital."

"This $22-million project was completed within budget and well ahead of schedule. That's great news for our local economy and businesses and the residents that had been inconvenienced."

The Town of Tecumseh paid $6 million for the project, and the rest was paid for by the county.

The project is also expected to help accommodate new traffic from residential development.Tecumseh Mayor Gary MacNamara says the municipality is looking at adding more than 4,400 new homes nearby.

"So that equates to about 8,800 new residents into the region," he said.

Sandra Zwiers, the CAO at the County of Essex, spoke on the project's successand future plans.

"The project we're celebrating today is a significant milestone and part of a $100-million, multi-year, multi-phase project to enhance the County Road 42 corridor from Lakeshore to the City of Windsor," she said.

The current connection with County Roads 43 and 42 will eventually be disconnected and a cul-de-sac will be built on Banwell.

The roundabout area will eventually include a walking trail, new lighting and sidewalks.

The next projects will be a new roundabout at County Road 42 and ManningRoad, as well as a new right turn lane at Manning and County Road 22.

For now, only the east-west portion of the roundabout along County Road 42 is open. The other part that will serviceBanwell Roadshould open sometime before Christmas.