A Windsor mayoral candidate is pledging once again to upload the E.C. Row Expressway back onto the provincial government if re-elected. At a campaign announcement Wednesday, incumbent Drew Dilkens said the move would free up millions of dollars annually for residential road repairs. E.C. Row was downloaded onto the City of Windsor in 1997 and he said Windsor currently spends about $6.6 million a year on maintenance and operations, with costs projected to reach $7.5 million annually over the next decade. “This is a regional connection that links LaSalle in the west and Tecumseh in the east, and it bisects Windsor,” Dilkens said. “And of course, now that the Gordie Howe International Bridge is open and operational, anyone in the east of the region heading to Detroit is likely going to be drawn to this corridor.” Dilkens has been pushing the idea since at least 2023, arguing E.C. Row is a regional corridor, similar to Highway 3, and that it shouldn’t be funded solely by Windsor taxpayers. He said the city’s dedicated asset management tax has now run its course and he is not proposing a new levy. “This is going into our asset management plan where we have said we want to keep our assets in a good state of repair, and this will be directed exclusively for residential road rehab,” said Dilkens. He also linked the proposal to future growth, saying E.C. Row will eventually require expansion and that the province is better positioned to fund major capital projects, including a potential third lane. Dilkens says he has already laid the groundwork needed to make the case at Queen’s Park. “Everyone knows I’ve got a great relationship with our premier and Minister of Transportation and many others in the provincial government. I will work with Andrew Dowie. We will get this done,” he said. Dilkens is one of 11 candidates seeking Windsor’s top job in the Oct. 26 municipal election.
