County seeks $60 million for County Road 22 and Manning Road intersection

Essex County is asking the province for $60 million to upgrade the congested County Road 22 and Manning Road intersection.

The County of Essex formally pitched a plan to the Ontario Ministry of Transportation asking for $60 million for upgrades to the County Road 22 and Manning Road intersection.

Warden Hilda MacDonald and CAO Sandra Zwiers met with Transportation Parliamentary Assistant Ric Bresee at the Rural Ontario Municipal Association conference in Toronto on Monday, seeking provincial support for a grade-separated interchange at the intersection of County Road 22 and County Road 19/Manning Road.

County officials say gridlock at this increasingly congested intersection, currently serviced by traffic signals, frustrates area residents and threatens to impede economic development and the construction of new homes.

The county is seeking $60 million in the next provincial budget to expedite construction of this infrastructure project and is prepared to complement that provincial contribution with a $45-million investment of its own, while still completing other key projects in that area, including the continued widening of County Road 42.

“There are no red lights on the road to regional prosperity, and the County is ready and willing to partner with the province on this vital infrastructure project, unlocking the potential for thousands of hew homes and accelerated economic development,” said County of Essex CAO Sandra Zwiers.

“Statistics show that this is the most congested and perilous intersection along County Road 22. It is a crucial economic corridor servicing the new battery plant that connects to the new bridge via E.C. Row Expressway and directly to Highway 401 and markets beyond via Manning Road.”

Here is the county’s full submission to the province.