Preferred Option Would Widen County Road 22 for All Users

Widening County Road 22 between East Puce Road and Belle River Road to accommodate a centre turning lane, cyclists and pedestrians is the preferred solution to upgrade the heavily used thoroughfare in Lakeshore, according to a study.

“As part of the new vision for County Road 22, the Study is proposing a high quality of urban design along the corridor which may include special boulevard treatments, streetscaping, plantings, signage controls and the provision of street furniture to accommodate the needs of pedestrians, transit users, cyclists, trail users, as well as the automobile,” says a report to Essex County Council by Jane Mustac, Director of Infrastructure Services/County Engineer.

Council was presented with the study update June 16 by WSP Consultants project manager David Lukezic and community engagement specialist Justin Jones. The study update was also presented at a virtual public information centre June 17.

The County and Municipality of Lakeshore hired WSP Consultants to investigate design options for turning the 5.8-kilometre stretch of road into an urban avenue more suited to its current and future use.

The preferred option is to widen the County Road 22 right-of-way from 20 metres to almost 30 metres to include a centre turning lane and cycle tracks on both sides of the road, as well as a multi-use trail along the south side and a sidewalk along the north. This would require buying some additional property, according the to WSP report.

The other options are:

• Maintaining the current right-of-way width, adding a centre turning lane and putting sidewalks on both sides of the road.
• Widening the right-of-way to 25 metres, and adding a centre turning lane, a sidewalk on the north side and a multi-use trail on the south side.
• Widening the right-of-way to 30.5 metres to incorporate two lanes of vehicle traffic in each direction, as well as adding a centre turning lane, sidewalk on the north side and multi-use path on the south side.

Implementing any of the four options would also require closing access to County Road 22 from the following local streets:

• Estate Street
• John King Street
• Pierre Avenue
• Caruhel Drive
• Dubois Avenue
• St. Mary’s Road
• Auburn Avenue
• Beechwood Avenue

Eastbound and northbound turn lanes are recommended at Renaud and Rourke Line roads. The study also recommends extending Faith Drive to Renaud Line Road and Willowwood Drive to north of County Road 22.

In her report, Mustac noted that Lakeshore council in November 2020 requested an advanced left turn signal be added to the traffic light at Renaud Line, a traffic light at Emery Drive and a traffic light at Rourke Line. Those issues were addressed in the study, she said. The advanced left turn signal is being added to the light at the Renaud Line and County Road 22 intersection this year. The study found traffic lights at Emery Drive and Rourke Line aren’t warranted at this time.

The WSP Consultants report presented to County Council and at the public information centre is now available online for review. Members of the public can provide input until July 29. Details are available on the County Road 22 Corridor Study project web page.

The final report for the study is expected to be complete in the fall.

For more information, contact:

Jerry Behl
Manager, Transportation Planning & Development
County of Essex
JBehl@countyofessex.ca