Possible widening of 5-km stretch of Highway 3 being reviewed

Ontario's Ministry of Transportation is reviewing the possibility of twinning the deadly two-lane stretch of Highway 3 between Essex and Leamington for twinning as funding becomes available, it said in a statement issued Tuesday.

Until then, it's reviewing the possibility of widening a five-kilometre stretch of the road in Essex.

A motorcyclist became the second fatality in a less than a month on that stretch when he collided with a truck near Leamington.

A woman died in April in a multi-vehicle crash near the Arner Townline in Essex.

"Our thoughts are with the family and friends of the victim inFriday'scollision," the ministry said in the same statement.

In 2006, the ministry finished a Transportation Environmental Study Report for the widening of Highway 3 from Windsor to Leamington. The first two phases of that widening, stretching from the City of Windsor to the Town of Essex, have been completed.

"We continually monitor conditions on our highways to plan improvements that keep them moving safely and efficiently," the ministry's statement said.

The ministry said it is currently finalizing a study that will update the recommendations found in the 2006 report for the section through the Town of Essex, which is the westerly portion of the third phase of Highway 3 widening.

This study area includes Highway 3 within the Town of Essex only, from half a kilometer west of Ellis Sideroad to two kilometres east of the Arner Townline, also known as Essex Road 23, the statement said.

While there are already four lanes between Ellis Sideroad and County Road 8, the ministry said it will review that portion as well.

Widening of the remaining two-lane section of Highway 3, between Leamington and Essex, has not yet been scheduled for construction. Itis listed in theSouthern Highways Programunder Planning for the Future, the ministry said.