Road projects extended in county

By Ron Giofu

ESSEX COUNTY — Road projects within Essex County can now occur over longer stretches thanks to additional gas tax funding.

Essex County council received a report at last Wednesday night’s meeting which stated the additional funding can be used to extend road projects already approved over larger stretches of roadway.

Director of infrastructure services/county engineer Jane Mustac pointed out the county received additional gas tax funding. She said the funding will be used to supplement the county’s road rehabilitation program.

“The first (gas tax) allocation did help support our 2021 program,” Mustac told county council during the virtual meeting last Wednesday night. “The additional funding available from the second round provides us with an opportunity to advance some of those sections that were planned in subsequent years from our five-year program.”

Mustac said that sections of roadways that were selected are extensions of work already approved under the county’s early release program.

“The top up adds an additional $2.2 million as the county share of the funding,” she said.

A stretch of County Road 11 (Walker Road) in McGregor and a one-kilometre stretch of road from County Road 10 (Middle Side Road) to North Malden Road will be added to the project, which already saw an approval of a 0.9-kilometre stretch of road just north of that.

Other roadwork project extensions that will occur include another 2.4-kilometres on County Road 18 in Essex, an additional 1.3 kilometres on a County Road 22 project in Lakeshore, an additional 2.5 kilometres on a County Road 20 project in Leamington, an additional 1.9 kilometres to a County Road 34 project in Kingsville and an additional 1.8 kilometres to a County Road 50 project, also in Kingsville.