Here's what it will take to fix what's been dubbed one of Windsor's worst roads

The first part of a multi-phase project to reconstruct what's considered one of Windsor's worst roads and build up infrastructure that helps protect homeowners against basement flooding could start this year.

University Avenue West, voted one of southwestern Ontario's worst roads in the annual CAA poll, is slated for a complete overhaul that originally carried a $50-to-$60-million price tag.

The push to fix the corridor connecting the University of Windsor and downtown started nearly a decade ago with a prolonged study period slowed down by the pandemic. 

Getting the first chunk of the project started, between McEwan Avenue and Salter Avenue, will cost about $4 million more than originally estimated, which means the overall project will be more expensive than the 2022 estimates.

West end councilor Fabio Costante said this project is worth the investment and that getting the first phase done will show people what's possible along the corridor.

"This is not just a road reconstruction. This is a residential, commercial and economic development play," said Costante, who represents the ward where most of the work will be done.

"I see this as really a big, inner-city development that feeds into our downtown core."

An administrative report says about $19.5 million will cover the cost of new sewers, streetlights, and a new watermain along the nearly one-kilometre stretch of University Avenue West.

The city's executive director of engineering says that will mean splitting the combined sewers that run down the road.

"We know that is one of the big contributors to basement flooding throughout the city," said Stacey McGuire.

"So any opportunity that we have to separate those sewers into dedicated sanitary and storm sewers, you know we're taking those opportunities."

New protected bike lanes

That money will also pay for a road diet that narrows the roadway along this stretch to add protected bike lanes and widen sidewalks. 

"We're going to be implementing what we call sort of a complete streets scenario where we'll have dedicated bike lanes that are actually buffered from the road," said McGuire.

"We don't see that in Windsor."

She's confident this long-awaited piece of Windsor's active transportation plan will not fall under newly introduced Ontario legislation that requires the provincial government to approve any bike lane construction that replaces a lane of vehicle traffic. 

McGuire believes this project won't be affected by the legislation because it has not yet been passed by provincial lawmakers.

"We're not going to have to go back and rip this out or anything that I've heard some people suggesting may need to happen," said McGuire. 

What will it look like?

The preferred design plans that council approved in 2022 would widen sidewalks beside a two-metre bike lane that connects to a grass boulevard that's adjacent to on-street parking.

That would happen on both sides of University Avenue West, with the roadway narrowing from four traffic lanes down to two to create space. 

A consultant's report looked at traffic patterns and determined that this will not impact traffic flow along the corridor. 

How long will the entire corridor take?

City staff told CBC News in 2023 that this project would take 10 years to finish from Huron Church Road to McDougall Street, depending on the availability of funding. 

This initial phase will force the city to spend every penny that's been budgeted for the project. 

"We don't have the money in the budget right now to do the full stretch of road and it's a very expensive project," said Costante.

He said that this project could spur future growth along the corridor in underdeveloped parts of the community, which McGuire believes is possible because of the infrastructure improvements. 

"This will allow for intensification in the area to proceed without impacting all the existing neighbourhood that's serviced by these sewers," she said.

In a tight budget year that started with a record-high proposed property tax increase now whittled down to about six percent, Costante said the one-time costs for this project won't add to those operating budget pressures. 

But he does see a need to add money to this project's budget, which could mean re-prioritizing the capital budget.  

"I encourage folks, if they really want to see this development, to certainly advocate for more money in the budget. I certainly will be in the coming years, as I have been in the past."

It's not clear when this portion of the project would be completed if the new budget is approved by council on Monday, but McGuire said some work may spill over into 2026.