County Road 42 reopens at Banwell with new roundabout

County Road 42 roundabout reopens The roundabout at County Road 42 has reopened, allowing traffic to move in both directions again.

News — Good news for east-west commuters in Windsor-Essex.

Traffic in both directions on County Road 42 will reopen on Thursday after the completion of the roundabout at the new, realigned intersection of County Road 42 and County Road 43/Banwell Road in Tecumseh.

“We want to thank residents and businesses for their patience and understanding while we completed this vital infrastructure project – which was finished on budget and ahead of schedule,” said Essex County Warden Hilda MacDonald. “The opening of this roundabout will smooth the flow of commuter and commercial traffic in this vital corridor and is part of a multi-phase, multi-year project to accommodate increased traffic linked to generational investments like the new battery plant and regional hospital.”

The County of Essex awarded a $22-million contract to GIP for the Phase 2 construction of a concrete roundabout at the intersection of County Road 42 and County Road 43/Banwell Road and the realignment of County Road 43 from County Road 42 to the border with the City of Windsor.

Work undertaken in Phase 2 includes the addition of multi-use trails, the installation of new storm sewers and watermains and road work on Concession Road 11 in Tecumseh.

A small section of County Road 42 was fully closed to traffic when the project commenced in mid-June. Between four and six crews worked on the project to speed up the timeline and minimize the impact on residents and local businesses.

Officials say the road is opening ahead of schedule, but there still may be intermittent closures to allow for the installation of fixtures, like streetlights, that did not arrive in time to meet the accelerated timeline.

Concrete was chosen as the material for the roundabout because of its durability in Essex County’s climate, characterized by temperature fluctuations and freezing and thawing in the winter.

The multi-year, multi-phase project to enhance the County Road 42 corridor from Windsor to County Road 19 increases road capacity and enhances neighbourhood connectivity. It includes widening County Road 42 to five lanes, building new roundabouts and constructing bicycle lanes, sidewalks and multi-use trails. The estimated cost of the entire project is $90 million to $100 million.

Next phases

Phase 3 of the project includes the construction of a roundabout at the intersection of County Road 42 and County Road 19/Manning Road and the reconstruction of County Road 42 from County Road 19 to Lesperance Road. Phase 4 will see County Road 42 reconstructed from Lesperance Road to County Road 43. Phase 5, the final phase, involves the reconstruction of County Road 42 from County Road 43 to Windsor.

Contracts for Phase 3 and Phase 4 of this project, which will enhance the County Road 42 corridor from Windsor to County Road 19, are expected to be put out to tender early in the New Year with work starting at County Road 19 and County Road 42 in the Spring of 2025.

For more information, visit the project page at www.countyofessex.ca/CR42