The County of Essex will embark on a transformational project on County Road 42 from the City of Windsor limits to Banwell Road later this year.
Director of Infrastructure Services Jane Mustac told BlackburnNews.com the project would take five years and cost $50 million.
Phase one, expanding County Road 42 from two-lanes to five to Manning Road, could start this fall.
"This is going to be built with curbs, sidewalks, bike lanes, a shared two-way left-turn lane and two lanes in each direction," said Mustac. "At County Road 42 and Manning, there will be a multi-lane roundabout."
The project has been in the works for some time. Mustac said an environmental assessment done in 2014 identified the need.
"The volume of traffic is alarmingly higher than we expected, so we did advance some work here. It just keeps increasing," she said.
Once the work between city limits and Manning Road finishes, Mustac said the work would move eastward to Banwell Road.
"Phase four, we'll build a similar roundabout at Banwell, and that also includes the Banwell diversion," she explained. "The existing Banwell will shift west and align with the 11th Concession on the south of 42."
The project will mean some intermittent road closures over the five years, but Mustac said it would be well worth it.
"It's definitely long overdue, and it's going to be a fabulous project," she added. "Patience is always what we ask for."
She said the county would apply for grants from the provincial and federal governments, but the project does not hinge on senior government funding.