Work to relocate 'awkward' intersection near Windsor's mall to finally start on Monday
A massive construction project near the Devonshire Mall in Windsor, Ont., is set to finally to get underway.
The intersection is where Howard Avenue, Division Road and South Cameron Boulevard meet at strange angles — near the railway tracks across from a main mall entrance.
A news conference has been called for 10 a.m. Friday at the intersection. Mayor Drew Dilkens and city councillor Kieran McKenzie are scheduled to be in attendance to discuss an "infrastructure improvement project."
Rendering of the large intersection relocation project near Devonshire Mall provided to CBC News by the City of Windsor in the spring of 2024. (City of Windsor)
As listed by the city in the spring, the project comes with an $18 million price tag — and will see the forked intersection eventually sealed off and moved southeast to Sydney Avenue near The Keg.
This will also require a new road link be plowed through to Howard Avenue — and South Cameron and Howard will connect — doing away with the small, angled portion of roadway over the tracks.
Sydney Avenue is where a built up intersection is expected to connect Howard Avenue to Division Road near The Keg in Windsor, Ont. (Jacob Barker/CBC)
"It's just a strange and awkward intersection," Stacey McGuire, with the city's engineering department, previously told CBC News.
"There's a lot of really poor sightlines there," she added.
Originally, the city had said shovels would hit the ground in June, with an aim to finish construction before the holiday rush at the mall in December.
However, Ward 9 councillor Kieran McKenzie said securing someone to do the work ended up delaying things.
"It's a volume of work issue with the availability of contractors to be able to do work. It's just labour force numbers, I guess, is the best way to say it."
Windsor Ward 9 Councillor Kieran McKenzie said the project was delayed due to 'labour force numbers.' (Chris Ensing/CBC)
According to McKenzie, the late August start means the big work on the project might "bleed into early 2025."
"We're going to take one of the worst intersections in the city … and basically fix it."
Joe Furj, who lives in the nearby Kenilworth Gardens neighbourhood, previously said he tries to avoid the area whenever he can — and feared the construction could cause more traffic congestion.
"I can't even imagine what it would be like with construction there, so that'll probably cause a bunch of issues," he told CBC News.
Joe Furj lives near the intersection that is being relocated and hopes it helps cut down traffic backups in the long term. (Jacob Barker/CBC)
McKenzie agrees, saying back-ups could get worse.
"People use Kenilworth as a cut through just to avoid the line up and the queuing that happens at the corner of South Cameron and Howard right now. We may see a bit of an increase along Kenilworth, and if it becomes an issue that we have to respond to from a public safety standpoint we'll definitely do that."
What starts Monday?
Starting Aug. 19, until further notice, Howard Ave. will be closed — and impassable — from Kenilworth Dr. to South Cameron Blvd., according to Amico Adaptive Synergies.
The company said there will also be upcoming closures of Kenilworth and South Cameron on the following approximate dates:
Kenilworth closures at Howard: Aug. 29 to Sept. 4 and Sept. 12 to Sept. 15
South Cameron full closure: Sept. 12 to Sept. 15
