Phase 3 of Lauzon Parkway Reconstruction Update
The City of Windsor is pleased to announce significant progress on the $18 million Lauzon Parkway Reconstruction project. The project is substantially rebuilding Lauzon Parkway from Hawthorne Drive to Cantelon Drive. Lauzon Parkway is one of the most utilized roads in the City’s network, where about 30,000 vehicles, including heavy trucks, travel daily on the way to and from the E.C. Row Expressway. The improvements will extend the expected life of this asset for another fifty years.
Extensive work was completed this summer and fall, including the replacement of sanitary sewers, installation of additional stormwater storage in underground pipes, upgrades to the watermain, and the completion of the southbound lanes of traffic. As a result, Lauzon Parkway will be reopened to traffic on December 20, 2024, for the winter, pending weather and installation of temporary traffic control mechanisms.
While the road will be open to traffic, please be advised that the left-turning lane from the northbound lanes to the plazas will remain closed during the winter. Access to the plazas will still be available via the Cantelon entrance and from the southbound lanes.
Construction on the northbound lanes and the multi-use trail and boulevard restoration will resume in early 2025. The project is expected to be completed by July 2025, weather permitting.
This phase of work is part of a planned three-phase reconstruction and rehabilitation of Lauzon Parkway between Tecumseh Road East and the E.C. Row Expressway. Phase 1 invested about $2.6 million to fully rebuild the north and southbound lanes from Tecumseh Road East to Hawthorne Drive. Phase 2 invested about $5.5 million to rebuild the north and southbound lanes from the E.C. Row Expressway to Cantelon Drive. Each phase has included reconstructing lanes of concrete road, widening some parts to four lanes, installing an open-graded drainage layer beneath the road’s surface to improve drainage of excess water to minimize flooding and improve road performance, rebuilding the multi-use asphalt trail on the east side of Lauzon Parkway, and replacing the concrete sidewalk on the west side. The overall project began in 2021 after being fast-tracked due to the availability of funding advanced through the City’s Asset Management Plan.
This project is also part of the City’s $5 billion Sewer and Coastal Flood Protection Master Plan, which invests $180 million in underground infrastructure across 36 sewer construction projects throughout the city. The plan was created to set standards for the operation of the sewer systems and identify specific improvement projects that can be undertaken to both improve efficiency and reduce the risk of flooding caused by precipitation and extreme weather events.
Ongoing road improvements to this key arterial road corridor are further envisioned from E.C. Row Expressway to Cabana Road East, as well as constructing a new future extension of Lauzon Parkway from Cabana Road East to Highway 401 that will ultimately interconnect via a new highway interchange that is being planned for construction by the Ontario Ministry of Transportation. These future expansions of the City’s major arterial will provide a critical connection between the Gordie Howe International Bridge and the Right Honourable Herb Gray Parkway and the City of Windsor. In particular, the proposed Lauzon Parkway extension is positioned in close proximity to key growth and economic drivers, such as the future Windsor/Essex Acute Care Hospital, NextStar Energy Electric Vehicle (EV) battery plant, Windsor International Airport, key future employment and residential secondary plan area lands in Sandwich South and the E.C. Row Expressway.
The City appreciates the patience and understanding of the community throughout this ongoing project, and remains committed to Building Windsor’s Flood-Resilient Future and building critical infrastructure to improve existing service levels as well as to support ongoing growth.
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“It’s great news to see this continued progress on the transformation of Lauzon Parkway into one of our city’s premier motor vehicle and active transportation corridors. The ability to reopen the road this winter is a direct result of the incredible work undertaken in this vital infrastructure project over the last three years. As one of Windsor’s most important roads, and part of the province’s main economic corridor, Lauzon Parkway is a key piece of how we’re Building Windsor’s Future. This year’s Ontario Budget recognized the importance of building a new interchange connecting Highway 401 to Lauzon Parkway to support increased opportunities for trade and better access to the Windsor-Detroit border. With large-scale infrastructure projects continuing to fuel Windsor’s unprecedented economic and population growth, City Council remains committed to investing in that growth and fixing and rebuilding our roads and sewers to improve the quality, safety, and durability of our transportation infrastructure.” - Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens