LaSalle mayor opposed to Essex County roads study

Essex County Civic Centre.

The road construction continues in Windsor and Essex County and at the recent county council session, the next step in the road rationalization study was accepted.

However, LaSalle Mayor Crystal Meloche came with a prepared statement which posed a lot of questions including financial implications and duplication of information.

“Obviously we’ve discussed this for a long time. I realize this isn’t easy. We’ve been sitting here for 20 years without results,” said Meloche last Wednesday evening.

One of the goals of the study is to see who is responsible for a particular road – the county or an individual municipality.

The study, once complete, and fits into the overall County Transportation Plan, will lay out terms and conditions of road transfers.

In his report to council, director of infrastructure and planning Allan Botham wrote, “this initiative follows previous unsuccessful attempts and reflects renewed engagement and collaboration between county administration and local municipal partners.”

Botham also wrote that the current county road network is “generally appropriate for the content of Essex County.”

Meloche said that the parts of the road rationalization study goes against what previous consultants had advised and that the county had paid for.

“If we move forward with this model we are ignoring the advice of professionals,” she said.

Meloche also pointed out that Essex County would be abandoning what has already been proven to be successful in other regions across the province.

Meloche indicated that several roads in LaSalle, including Matchette and Laurier should be uploaded to the county and said that the county’s study does not address any financial implications for doing that.

County CAO Sandra Zwiers said that the financial part is not the primary priority and what the purpose of the road is and who maintains it is important.

“When we are talking about a road network, I think we really need to stay focused on the form and function of the road,” said Zwiers.

LaSalle mayor opposed to Essex County roads study

By Fred Groves