When Essex County Council fired off a letter complete with statistics making the case to expand Hwy. 3 to four lanes through Kingsville and Leamington, it did not expect the reaction it got.
A letter from Neil Zohorsky with the Ministry of Transportation reads, "Traffic growth on Hwy. 3 has generally been below 2% per year, over the past ten years. The traffic volume in this section of Hwy. 3 are below the estimated forecast for 2017. The overall collision rate for Hwy. 3 remains below the provincial average."
The letter continues to say Ontario remains committed to the eventual expansion, just not at this time.
Warden Tom Bain says he can not believe the province said no.
"There's so many people that, they won't even travel that route," he says. "You only have to travel that route to see the dangers especially where it switches down from four lanes to two."
The ministry says the project is still listed in the 2017-2021 Southern Highways Program, but funding will be considered in the "context of other provincial infrastructure investment priorities.
Bain says the council is not giving up.
"The fight will continue," he vows. "Right now, with the election, it puts a lot on hold. As soon as this election is completed, whichever party is in power, we'll be back there demanding that we get four lanes out there."