The intersection of Manning Rd and County Rd 22 at the Tecumseh-Lakeshore border is seen on May 18, 2017.  Photo by Mark Brown/Blackburn News.The intersection of Manning Rd and County Rd 22 at the Tecumseh-Lakeshore border is seen on May 18, 2017. Photo by Mark Brown/Blackburn News.
Windsor

Manning Rd. And County Rd. 22 Intersection Getting a Makeover

A local traffic bottleneck is about to be transformed.

Essex County Council has given the green light for a project designed to improve traffic flow on the main route through Lakeshore, Tecumseh and Windsor.  Council voted unanimously Wednesday night to sign off on a project to place additional turning lanes at the intersection of Manning Rd. and County Rd. 22, which leads to the EC Row Expwy.

Roughly 40,000 vehicles use the intersection, which straddles the border between Tecumseh and Lakeshore, every work day.  Significant backups often occur in the current single turning lanes, particularly during afternoon rush hour.

Essex County Director of Transportation Services Tom Bateman says the work is necessary, since development in the area has resulted in more traffic than the intersection can handle.

"The intersection, with the traffic coming from all of the quadrants, is beyond its capacity," says Bateman.  "So the number of lanes, the configuration, the signal times, is to a point where we can no longer accommodate the traffic volumes."

Peter Bziuk, the county's design and construction manager, says it will be a lot easier and faster to turn at that intersection once the work is done.

"Currently people are waiting for two and three and four red light signals to get through," says Bziuk.  "The double left turn is designed to address that."

The plan calls for double left turn lanes from both eastbound County Rd. 22 to northbound Manning, as well as from northbound Manning to westbound County Rd. 22.  Right turn lanes will also be added from westbound County Rd. 22 to northbound Manning, and from northbound Manning to eastbound County Rd. 22.   There will also be an additional straight lane for northbound Manning north of the intersection.

The project is expected to cost about $6.9-million, according to the report presented to council. Bziuk says drivers can expect some traffic shifts and closures to ensure the work can be done.

"It's anticipated that [Manning Rd.] south of 22 will be closed for about three weeks, and we also anticipate a two-week partial closure of [Manning] north of 22, basically between Amy Croft Dr. and County Rd. 22," says Bziuk.

Bziuk says some work will be completed at night and on weekends as part of the staging for this project, and some lane closures will be needed to accommodate equipment.

Work is expected to begin by the end of May with a completion date of late November.

Read More Local Stories