First phase of University Avenue West reconstruction greenlit by Windsor city council

Described by one city councillor as ‘the biggest inner-city infrastructure project’ Windsor could undertake, the tender for the reconstruction of University Avenue West has been approved.

On Monday, councillors approved nearly $20 million to fund the first phase of rebuilding the major arterial road that links the University of Windsor area to the downtown core.

Phase one of the project will cover a nearly one kilometre stretch between McEwan and Salter Avenues.

"We're going to see the complete reconstruction and redesign, both underground and above ground," said west-end councillor Fabio Costante.

"It's going to be a catalyst, in my view, to residential, commercial and economic development along that strip... This gives us an opportunity to have Windsor's first complete street."

According to an administrative report, phase one will include protected bike lanes, expanded sidewalks, new sewers, streetlights, a new watermain and overall road rehabilitation.

The green dots represent what is covered by Phase 1 of the University Avenue corridor reconstruction approved by city council on Nov. 25, 2024. The red line shows the stretch of the entire project which councillors say could take around 10 years to complete. (CTV/Bing)

Currently, drivers on University Avenue West experience the sound of tires rolling over cracks and potholes in the road.

The CAA's Worst Roads campaign ranks University Avenue West as the fifth worst road in southwestern Ontario, which includes Essex County, Chatham-Kent and Lambton County.

The University Avenue reconstruction will also reduce the number of driving lanes.

"It gives it a road diet," said Costante. "The current traffic count doesn't warrant the four lanes that we see today."

The full University Avenue corridor project runs between Huron Church Road and McDougall Street.

Future budgets will need to allocate money for the remainder of the road. However, according to Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens, it’s highly unlikely the project will be cancelled at this stage.

"It'll just be incumbent upon future councils to make sure that they continue to allocate money to get that work done. Very rarely do we start a street project and not finish it," said Dilkens.

However, the road to finish the work will be long.

Underground work between McEwan and Salter Avenues is expected to begin in a few weeks, Costante said, but active construction is "likely going to spill into 2026."

The full University Avenue corridor is expected to be rebuilt within the coming decade.

"The old adage of 'short-term pain, long-term gain' is going to be real here, without question. But I think that as we see this reconstruction happen, there's going to be a lot of momentum to want to see it through," said Costante.

"I think this is going to have a massive return on investment, unlike any other road project that we see."

The tender for the project was awarded to D’Amore Construction, which submitted a bid of $15.9 million for the first phase of work — lower than those submitted by two other companies.