Essex County residents and politicians spent years lobbying for improvements to one of the region's most dangerous roads.
The Ontario government says it’s making progress on widening a deadly stretch of Highway 3 between Essex and Leamington but refuses to confirm if the long-awaited project is on time or within budget.
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The refusal means that more than two years after the work began, there has been no official update on the estimated costs or finish date for the long-awaited project.
MPP Lisa Gretzky (NDP — Windsor West) said it’s “beyond disappointing” and “completely irresponsible” that the province refuses to give a seemingly simple update on a massive public project important to people across the region.
“I think that the public deserves to know where we’re at with the build of Highway 3,” said Gretzky. “Where are we at as far as the actual expected timeline for that road to fully open and what to date has it cost? I think the government should be answering that and I think their members in our area should be answering those questions.”
Premier Doug Ford announced in June 2023 during a visit to the Town of Essex that the province had awarded a $138-million contract to GIP Paving to widen the deadly stretch of highway.
Ford said during another visit to the region in March 2024 that work had begun. That was the province’s last public update on the project.
The Star sent requests for information to the Ministry of Transportation and GIP Paving in late August. A representative of GIP said he forwarded the Star’s questions to the ministry.
The MTO replied to those inquiries with the same response verbatim that it sent to the Star following a previous information request in June.
The ministry did not acknowledge questions about the project cost, finish date and what work is left to do. It also did not acknowledge follow-up emails repeating those questions.
The Star also sent an interview request to MPP Anthony Leardi (PC — Essex), whose riding covers most of the Highway 3 section under construction, stating the MTO would not answer the questions.
Leardi’s chief of staff forwarded the request to the MTO, which sent the same email a third time.
In that email, the province said the Highway 3 widening project “continues to progress.”
