Transport minister experiences dangers of Highway 3

Ontario Transportation Minister Steven Del Duca has not only heard about the dangers of Highway 3, he has now seen them - and says the deadly road will be widened.

WindsorStar.com
Aug. 14, 2016
By Craig Pearson

The Liberal cabinet minister jumped aboard a bus tour of Highway 3 on Sunday hosted by a collection of Essex County mayors, as well as Essex MPP Taras Natyshak (NDP). Del Duca had an up-close look at the troubled stretch between County Road 8 and Leamington that has witnessed a number of fatal and other serious crashes in recent years.

The intention has always been to widen the highway so we’re going to keep working on that,” Del Duca said after his bus trip, though he would not predict when construction might begin. “I’ve learned over the last couple of years about managing expectations. It doesn’t mean the work will not happen. But I want to make sure we’re able to get this right.”

Del Duca said he noticed some drivers swerving ahead of the bus at times on the two-lane road, creating questionable situations.

“I understand that there is a great deal of concern and anxiety in the community,” said Del Duca, who is in town to attend the annual Association of Municipalities of Ontario conference, which will attract 1,700-plus delegates to Windsor Sunday through Wednesday. “That’s why I want to be here first hand to see it. My commitment is that we’ll keep moving this forward and we’ll continue to have updates for the community as soon as we’re ready.”

Essex County Warden Tom Bain, who discussed the issue with Del Duca and other county leaders after the hour-long trip, believes the widening of Highway 3 will begin relatively soon.

“I’m hopeful that we can begin to see some construction within the next year or two,” Bain said. “It’s something difficult and funding is not always just sitting there but it’s something that has to be addressed.”

Bain felt Sunday’s bus tour helped reinforce Essex County’s argument, despite that weekend traffic is significantly less than during the week.

“The tour was excellent in that it was proof of the point we’re trying to make,” Bain said. “There were a number of cars that passed our vehicle and cut right in front of us going into turns, creating possible accidents. I think we were able to prove our point about how dangerous it is out there.”

Pam McDermott, who organized a hastily arranged protest of four people, held a sign saying “#3 Lives Matter.”

“We just wanted to let the minister of transportation know that we want the government to widen the highway and finish what they started,” said McDermott, the daughter of Town of Essex Mayor Ron McDermott. “It’s taking too long. They promised to do it so we want to hold them to their promise.”

Kathy Baker, who spent 20 years commuting daily from Kingsville to her job in Windsor, said Highway 3 simply cannot handle the volume of traffic it accommodates.

“The drive is crazy, absolutely crazy,” said Baker, who has had to veer to the side of Highway 3 a number of times to avoid someone trying to pass with on-coming traffic. “The only part that is good is the part that was widened (from County Road 8 to Windsor). The other stretch is like Murder Highway. Because of the volume of traffic going back and forth, it’s very dangerous.”