Lesperance Road & Little River Boulevard Multi-Use Pathway Project

Phase 1 Update: St. Jacques to First Street Parking Lot Reconfiguration

As part of Phase 1 of this project, the existing parking lot in between St. Jacques Street and First Street has been reconfigured to accommodate reverse angle parking. This type of parking offers several benefits over traditional forward facing parking, including:

Improved visibility when exiting a parking space.
Reduced amount of blind spots within the parking lot.
Increased safety for children during parking activity as doors are opened facing the sidewalk.
Facilitates efficient layout for loading and unloading vehicle as your trunk faces the sidewalk.
Enhanced maneuverability for ingress and egress from parking space.
Safer traffic flow entering and exiting the parking lot.

For a visual guide of reverse angled parking, refer to the picture below.

Tips when reverse angle parking include:

When approaching the desired parking space, use your turn signal to let other users know you'll be reversing into a space.
If someone is reverse parking in front of you, leave enough space between your car and their car.
Always check for pedestrians and cyclists crossing the parking lot before reversing into a parking space.

Project Overview & Details

As part of the Town’s Transportation Master Plan Update, we’re working with the County of Essex to improve walking and cycling options in our community. The goal is to make it safer and easier for people to get around by foot or bike, while also connecting to regional trails.

This project includes building a new multi-use pathway on the west side of Lesperance Road (from Riverside Drive to First Street) and on the north side of Little River Boulevard (from Lesperance Road to Gauthier Drive).

Once complete, the new pathways will connect to the existing Riverside Drive trail, Lakewood Park, and the Ganatchio Trail — creating better links across the region.

In March 2022, Council authorized Administration, under report PWES-2022-11, to submit an application for funding under the Active Transportation Fund (ATF) for a future commitment to install a multi-use recreational trail on the west side of Lesperance Road (from Riverside Drive to First Street) and on the north side of Little River Boulevard (from Lesperance Road to Gauthier Street). Following the meeting, an application for funding was submitted and ultimately approved by the funding agency. The maximum amount of $2,616,000 in federal funding available for this project was awarded which will offset Town funds for the total project costs. In addition, the Town was also awarded an additional $240,000 which was the maximum amount of provincial funding available from Ontario’s Rural Economic Development (RED) program, these funds will assist with the costs of street tree installation, landscaping and decorative lighting along Lesperance Road from First Street to McNorton Street.

Piera Con Enterprises Inc. has been retained by the Town to complete the work which also includes driveway restoration for driveways within the work zone that are affected by construction as well as:

3.0 kilometers of 3.0-meter-wide pathway on the west side of Lesperance Road from First Street to Riverside Drive
0.3 kilometers of 3.0-meter-wide pathway on the north side of Little River Boulevard from Lesperance Road to Gauthier Drive.
Accessible landings at street intersections
Improved street lighting
Improved crossings at side streets
Connectivity with other existing pathways
Town Hall parking lot improvements
Beautification between McNorton Street and First Street significant tree planting, etc.

Construction Overview & Details

Refer to the below tabs for more information related to the construction of this project, including a map depicting the project limit and the phased approach for construction.

Construction Work Zone Map

Phase 1: First Street to McNorton

Begins week of June 2 and Is estimated to take 3 months with an approximate completion in September 2025
Access to Town Hall will be maintained throughout the project with signage posted to direct residents and visitors.
First Street will be closed while working on the municipal parking lots above and St. Jacques Street will serve as the detour route.
Additional parking lot closures will occur as the project advances.
Lesperance Road will remain open to two-way traffic for most of the construction period. However, brief single-lane closures with flagging may be necessary for specific construction activities.
Garbage and recycling collection will continue on its regular schedule.

Phase 2: McNorton to Riverside Drive

It is expected to take 3 months with an anticipated completion of the end of November 2025.
Further details to come