Construction and Closures

Essex County keeps the public informed about road closures and has an annual construction program to maintain roads, bridges and culverts.

News updates about construction and road closures are posted on this website over the course of the construction season. Click this button for the the latest update:

Ways to get updates

You can hit the yellow "Sign up today!" button at the bottom of this page to subscribe to our news updates to be notified by email of detours and closures. (Check the News Notices and Announcements box on the subscription page.)

For information and updates about the reconstruction of County Road 42 please visit the project page.

You can also consult the 511 interactive map of construction, road closures and detours in the region.

2026 Construction Program

The road construction program for Essex County in 2026 totals $111,457,650.

The 2026 program has eight key areas:

• Roadway expansion program – $79,847,000
• State of Good Repair program – $21,157,850
• State of Good Repair program, carryover/LMP – $2,925,000
• Traffic operations – $710,600
• Municipal drainage – $800,000
• Planning and engineering – $240,000
• CWATS (active transportation) – $5,696,200
• Equipment – $81,000

Major projects

Many of our construction projects are in various stages and are completed over several years. Read more about our major projects.

Road rehabilitation program

The 2026 Road Rehabilitation Program, at an estimated cost of $24.1 million, includes more than a dozen road rehabilitation projects, four bridge rehabilitation or engineering projects, and eight culvert replacement or engineering projects.

2026 construction projects

Bridge rehabilitation or engineering projects

• River Canard Bridge on County Road 12, about midway between CR 11 and CR 15 in Essex.
• Big Creek Bridge on County Road 42, between CR 37 and Queen Street South (Kent Road 1) in the extreme northeast corner of Lakeshore.
• Belle River Bridge on County Road 27, in Lakeshore.
• Collard Drain Bridge on County Road 14, in Leamington.

Culvert replacement or engineering projects

• East Ogle Drain Culvert on County Road 14, at CR 37, in Leamington.
• Lonsberry Drain Culvert on County Road 50, in Oxley, Essex.
• Sancrainte Drain Culvert on County Road 20, at River Canard, in Amherstburg.
• Seventh Concession Drain Culvert on County Road 27, at CR23, on Essex/Kingsville border.
• South Dales Drain Culvert on County Road 34, just before Wheatley, in Leamington.
• Antaya Drain Culvert on County Road 9, just south of CR 8 in Amherstburg.
• West Branch Reid Culvert on County Road 14, east of CR 31 in Leamington.
• North Rear Road Drain Culvert on County Road 31, just north of Ruscom, CR 46 in Lakeshore.

Road rehabilitation projects

Part of the Essex County’s 2026 road program is funded by the Canada Community Building Fund.

• County Road 8, from CR 23 to Cameron Sideroad on Lakeshore/Essex border.
• County Road 8, from CR 31 to Highway 77 on Lakeshore/Leamington border.
• County Road 9 (Howard Avenue), from South Talbot Road to CR 7 (Huron Church Line Road) on LaSalle/Tecumseh border.
• County Road 11 (Walker Road), from Texas Road to CR 12 on Amherstburg/Essex border.
• County Road 46, from 8th Concession to CR 17 in Tecumseh.
• County Road 3 (Malden Road), from CR8 to Canard Drive in LaSalle.
• County Road 20, from MN #1484 to CR 10 in Amherstburg.
• County Road 23, at CR 8 roundabout on the Essex/Lakeshore/Kingsville border.
• County Road 27, from South Middle Rd to B-27-11A in Woodslee, Lakeshore.
• County Road 31, from CR 8 to CR 14 on the Kingsville/Leamington border.
• County Road 35, from Lakeshore Road 305 to CR 42, south of Stoney Point in Lakeshore.
• County Road 8, from CR31 to Kent Road 1 along the entire Lakeshore/Leamington border.
• County Road 37, from B-37-07 to Lakeshore Rd 310 in Lakeshore.

Planned repair projects, 2026-30

Managers and roads-network planners in the County of Essex's Infrastructure & Planning Department are always thinking long-term. All road, bridge and culvert repairs (or replacements) in any given year are typically identified many years in advance. As of early 2026, the current five-year schedule of such repairs/replacements informs the budgetary plans in place not only for 2026, but for 2027 ($17.205 million), 2028 ($18.705 million), 2029 ($19.255 million) and 2030 ($19.030 million). 

Read here to learn about individual road, bridge and culvert repair (or replacement) projects that are already queued up annually through 2030, along with the anticipated cost of each individual project.

Road maintenance

County crews maintain a safe and reliable network of roads. Their work includes:

• Road painting
• Road patching
• Roadside spraying
• Road signage
• Road sweeping
• Shoulder grading and repair
• Roadside mowing
• Bridge and culvert repair
• Roadside drainage
• Traffic lights
• Winter maintenance

Call us for fill

Summer ditching operations generate a supply of fill. Please contact us at 519-326-8691 if you want fill.