Dougall Avenue (Windsor, Ontario)
Encyclopedia
Dougall Avenue is a very busy four-lane urban arterial road
, linking Downtown
Windsor
, with South Windsor and Highway 401
. The road is a minimum of four lanes for its entire length, and is among Windsor's busiest, with an Average Annual Daily Traffic amount of 35,000 vehicles per day from Eugenie Street to Cabana Road.
from 1917 to 1929, when Highway 3 was re-aligned onto the newly-built Huron Church Road to serve the also newly-constructed Ambassador Bridge
. Dougall Avenue then became Highway 3A. In 1935, the provincial highway was re-labelled as Highway 3B
. In 1962, Ouellette Avenue
was re-aligned south of Eugenie Street to allow better direct access to and from Dougall Avenue, and to eliminate a short 3-block "jog" east along Tecumseh Road near downtown. Highway 3B was re-aligned onto Ouelette Place (the "curve" along Ouellette Avenue) and Ouellette Avenue
, terminating in Downtown Windsor. This curve was finished and opened in 1963.
In 1966, the road was also designated as a connecting link
. This meant that while Windsor would have more responsibility in maintaining and repairing the road, the Ministry of Transportation
would still contribute and help. The road's status as a provincial highway was repealed in 1975, but the connecting link agreement was kept, allowing the road to still be signed as Highway 3B, to reduce confusion among motorists. The connecting link was ultimately repealed in 1998.
(speed limit of 80 km/h or 50 mph) to a four-lane undivided urban arterial road, with a speed limit of 60 km/h (40 mph). The roadway is heavily built-up on all sides, with mostly shopping plazas and businesses, but with houses as well. The largest of plaza is the South Windsor Walmart (located south of E. C. Row Expressway
).
North of the Walmart and interchange with E.C. Row Expressway, the road becomes a narrowly-divided four-lane arterial road, passing under 1 railway overpass, as well as passing next to the Zalev Brothers' http://www.fpt1.com/zalev.html Scrap Yard. It is here, that Dougall Road continues north, but all lanes default onto Ouellette Place.
es) draws the attention of motorists behind them when trying to continue straight (by making a left-turn) on Dougall Avenue, or to make a left-turn onto Ouellette Place northbound from Dougall Avenue southbound. The road was designed to keep the majority of traffic onto Ouellette Avenue, and this has been the cause of many accidents, such as rear-end collisions. There have been petitions now and then for Windsor City Council
to fix the intersection or close off access to Dougall Avenue entirely (and have signs directing motorists that want to access Dougall Avenue to use Eugenie Street).
and the Cogeco
Cable offices. Most of the traffic on this street uses Eugenie Street to get to and from Ouellette Place, and to serve the businesses along it. After crossing the CP Rail and Essex Terminal Railway
tracks, the road becomes a two-lane residential collector road
with on-street parking, with two-way access terminating at the intersection of Tecumseh Road. North of this street, the road is southbound-only, and is entirely residential in nature, with very low traffic volumes.
has reported that heavy international transport truck traffic on the road has tripled (not counting those trucks making deliveries to stores and locations along the road) since trucks were banned by a 2003 city bylaw
from using Wyandotte Street as a "short cut" to the Ambassador Bridge
in an attempt to avoid the very-busy Huron Church Road. Councillor
Drew Dilkens has requested for the bylaw to be extended to include Dougall Avenue between Highway 401
(including Dougall Parkway) and E. C. Row Expressway
(with exceptions for trucks making local deliveries), citing studies done that show nearly all the trucks on the road use Dougall Avenue to approach E. C. Row Expressway
, then to Huron Church Road (public opinion has traditionally been strong on keeping international truck traffic off of E.C. Row) as it already handles a large number of commuter traffic and is the fastest way to cross the city.
Arterial road
An arterial road, or arterial thoroughfare, is a high-capacity urban road. The primary function of an arterial road is to deliver traffic from collector roads to freeways, and between urban centres at the highest level of service possible. As such, many arteries are limited-access roads, or feature...
, linking Downtown
Downtown
Downtown is a term primarily used in North America by English speakers to refer to a city's core or central business district ....
Windsor
Windsor, Ontario
Windsor is the southernmost city in Canada and is located in Southwestern Ontario at the western end of the heavily populated Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. It is within Essex County, Ontario, although administratively separated from the county government. Separated by the Detroit River, Windsor...
, with South Windsor and Highway 401
Highway 401 (Ontario)
King's Highway 401, also known by its official name as the Macdonald–Cartier Freeway and colloquially as the four-oh-one, is a 400-Series Highway in the Canadian province of Ontario stretching from Windsor to the Quebec border...
. The road is a minimum of four lanes for its entire length, and is among Windsor's busiest, with an Average Annual Daily Traffic amount of 35,000 vehicles per day from Eugenie Street to Cabana Road.
History
The road was part of the original alignment of Highway 3Highway 3 (Ontario)
King's Highway 3, commonly referred to as Highway 3 and historically as the Talbot Trail, is a provincially maintained highway in the Canadian province of Ontario which travels parallel to the shore of Lake Erie. It has three segments, the first of which runs from the Ambassador Bridge in Windsor...
from 1917 to 1929, when Highway 3 was re-aligned onto the newly-built Huron Church Road to serve the also newly-constructed Ambassador Bridge
Ambassador Bridge
The Ambassador Bridge is a suspension bridge that connects Detroit, Michigan, in the United States, with Windsor, Ontario, in Canada. It is the busiest international border crossing in North America in terms of trade volume: more than 25 percent of all merchandise trade between the United States...
. Dougall Avenue then became Highway 3A. In 1935, the provincial highway was re-labelled as Highway 3B
Highway 3B (Ontario)
Not to be confused with the Highway 3B that became Highway 51, in Norfolk County.King's Highway 3B was a provincially maintained highway in Windsor...
. In 1962, Ouellette Avenue
Ouellette Avenue
Ouellette Avenue is one of the main North-South Roads in Windsor, Ontario, and acts as its Main Street. the road diverges from Dougall Avenue south of Downtown Windsor, travelling northward over the Essex Terminal Railway/CP Rail tracks, before terminating at a turnaround and parking lot at Dieppe...
was re-aligned south of Eugenie Street to allow better direct access to and from Dougall Avenue, and to eliminate a short 3-block "jog" east along Tecumseh Road near downtown. Highway 3B was re-aligned onto Ouelette Place (the "curve" along Ouellette Avenue) and Ouellette Avenue
Ouellette Avenue
Ouellette Avenue is one of the main North-South Roads in Windsor, Ontario, and acts as its Main Street. the road diverges from Dougall Avenue south of Downtown Windsor, travelling northward over the Essex Terminal Railway/CP Rail tracks, before terminating at a turnaround and parking lot at Dieppe...
, terminating in Downtown Windsor. This curve was finished and opened in 1963.
In 1966, the road was also designated as a connecting link
Connecting Link
The Connecting Link program is a provincial subsidy provided to municipalities to assist with road construction, maintenance and repairs in the Canadian province of Ontario. Roads which are designated as connecting links form the portions of provincial highways through built-up communities which...
. This meant that while Windsor would have more responsibility in maintaining and repairing the road, the Ministry of Transportation
Ministry of Transportation (Ontario)
The Ministry of Transportation of Ontario is the provincial ministry of the government of Ontario which is responsible for transport infrastructure and related law in Ontario. The ministry traces its roots back over a century to the 1890s, when the province began training Provincial Road Building...
would still contribute and help. The road's status as a provincial highway was repealed in 1975, but the connecting link agreement was kept, allowing the road to still be signed as Highway 3B, to reduce confusion among motorists. The connecting link was ultimately repealed in 1998.
Dougall Parkway to Ouellette Place
The road officially begins at the interchange with Howard Avenue, with a small former alignment in place to serve several homes, named "Dougall Place". The road narrows from a four-lane dual carriagewayDual carriageway
A dual carriageway is a class of highway with two carriageways for traffic travelling in opposite directions separated by a central reservation...
(speed limit of 80 km/h or 50 mph) to a four-lane undivided urban arterial road, with a speed limit of 60 km/h (40 mph). The roadway is heavily built-up on all sides, with mostly shopping plazas and businesses, but with houses as well. The largest of plaza is the South Windsor Walmart (located south of E. C. Row Expressway
E. C. Row Expressway
The E C Row Expressway is a municipal expressway in the Canadian city of Windsor, Ontario. It divides the city in half as it crosses it between the Ojibway Parkway in the west and Banwell Road in the east. The expressway is named after Ohio born Edgar Charles Row, the president of Chrysler Canada...
).
North of the Walmart and interchange with E.C. Row Expressway, the road becomes a narrowly-divided four-lane arterial road, passing under 1 railway overpass, as well as passing next to the Zalev Brothers' http://www.fpt1.com/zalev.html Scrap Yard. It is here, that Dougall Road continues north, but all lanes default onto Ouellette Place.
Intersection with Ouelette Place
The intersection of Ouellette Place is very dangerous (among the most dangerous in the entire city), as the shape and angle of the intersection (and the reduced visibility from 1 active and 2 removed railroad overpassOverpass
An overpass is a bridge, road, railway or similar structure that crosses over another road or railway...
es) draws the attention of motorists behind them when trying to continue straight (by making a left-turn) on Dougall Avenue, or to make a left-turn onto Ouellette Place northbound from Dougall Avenue southbound. The road was designed to keep the majority of traffic onto Ouellette Avenue, and this has been the cause of many accidents, such as rear-end collisions. There have been petitions now and then for Windsor City Council
Windsor City Council
The Windsor City Council is the governing body of Windsor, Ontario, Canada.The council consists of the mayor plus ten elected city councillors representing the city as a whole.*Mayor: Eddie Francis*Ward 1: Dave Brister, Drew Dilkens...
to fix the intersection or close off access to Dougall Avenue entirely (and have signs directing motorists that want to access Dougall Avenue to use Eugenie Street).
North of Ouellette Place
North of Ouellette Place, the road is far quieter, though still has a fair amount of traffic around Dorwin Plaza, SuperstoreReal Canadian Superstore
Real Canadian Superstore is a chain of hypermarkets owned by Canadian food retailing giant Loblaw Companies. Its name is often shortened to RCSS or Superstore....
and the Cogeco
Cogeco
Cogeco Inc. is a Canadian media and communications company. The name is an acronym for Compagnie Générale de Communication .-History:...
Cable offices. Most of the traffic on this street uses Eugenie Street to get to and from Ouellette Place, and to serve the businesses along it. After crossing the CP Rail and Essex Terminal Railway
Essex Terminal Railway
Essex Terminal Railway is a Canadian shortline terminal railroad, running from the City of Windsor, Ontario through La Salle, to the Town of Amherstburg, Ontario, for a distance of approximately 21 miles . The ETR has direct connections to Canadian Pacific Railway, Canadian National Railway...
tracks, the road becomes a two-lane residential collector road
Collector road
A collector road or distributor road is a low to moderate-capacity road which serve to move traffic from local streets to arterial roads. Unlike arterials, collectors are also designed to provide access to residential properties...
with on-street parking, with two-way access terminating at the intersection of Tecumseh Road. North of this street, the road is southbound-only, and is entirely residential in nature, with very low traffic volumes.
Truck Traffic Issues
In recent months, the Windsor StarWindsor Star
The Windsor Star is the regional newspaper of Windsor, Ontario , and is owned by the Postmedia Network Inc. Since 1923, the publication's main office is located at 167 Ferry Street in the downtown area...
has reported that heavy international transport truck traffic on the road has tripled (not counting those trucks making deliveries to stores and locations along the road) since trucks were banned by a 2003 city bylaw
Bylaw
By-law can refer to a law of local or limited application passed under the authority of a higher law specifying what things may be regulated by the by-law...
from using Wyandotte Street as a "short cut" to the Ambassador Bridge
Ambassador Bridge
The Ambassador Bridge is a suspension bridge that connects Detroit, Michigan, in the United States, with Windsor, Ontario, in Canada. It is the busiest international border crossing in North America in terms of trade volume: more than 25 percent of all merchandise trade between the United States...
in an attempt to avoid the very-busy Huron Church Road. Councillor
Windsor City Council
The Windsor City Council is the governing body of Windsor, Ontario, Canada.The council consists of the mayor plus ten elected city councillors representing the city as a whole.*Mayor: Eddie Francis*Ward 1: Dave Brister, Drew Dilkens...
Drew Dilkens has requested for the bylaw to be extended to include Dougall Avenue between Highway 401
Highway 401 (Ontario)
King's Highway 401, also known by its official name as the Macdonald–Cartier Freeway and colloquially as the four-oh-one, is a 400-Series Highway in the Canadian province of Ontario stretching from Windsor to the Quebec border...
(including Dougall Parkway) and E. C. Row Expressway
E. C. Row Expressway
The E C Row Expressway is a municipal expressway in the Canadian city of Windsor, Ontario. It divides the city in half as it crosses it between the Ojibway Parkway in the west and Banwell Road in the east. The expressway is named after Ohio born Edgar Charles Row, the president of Chrysler Canada...
(with exceptions for trucks making local deliveries), citing studies done that show nearly all the trucks on the road use Dougall Avenue to approach E. C. Row Expressway
E. C. Row Expressway
The E C Row Expressway is a municipal expressway in the Canadian city of Windsor, Ontario. It divides the city in half as it crosses it between the Ojibway Parkway in the west and Banwell Road in the east. The expressway is named after Ohio born Edgar Charles Row, the president of Chrysler Canada...
, then to Huron Church Road (public opinion has traditionally been strong on keeping international truck traffic off of E.C. Row) as it already handles a large number of commuter traffic and is the fastest way to cross the city.