Are you Ready for the Downtown Dig?

This map outlines specific in-town and around-town detours once construction begins downtown. West River Street, Grand River Street North and Paris/Road Dundas Street will be under construction at the time. Using the west by pass outlined in green might be a time saver for motorists attempting to travel from one end of town to another.  

By Casandra Turnbull

Managing Editor

Like it or not, the Downtown Dig is starting. We all know the dig is required to replace underground infrastructure and while that work is necessary, the downtown will receive a long overdue facelift that includes a wide range of enhancements that comply with accessibility standards. The end result will be refreshing but what does the road to the dig look like for area residents?It will all begin with the West River Street construction, referred to as phase 1 of the project. That work, contracted to BEECH Infrastructure, begins this week and is expected to last until the end of summer, said Adam Crozier, Director of Corporate Strategy. The West River Road Construction spanned for five to six months last year but hit unexpected delays last year when contractors found the gas main was too shallow under the sidewalk so the project was halted until Aecon could dig up the sidewalk this spring. The timing couldn’t be worse because that construction, on what could have been a viable alternative route around the dig, is now part of the dig. Phase 2 of the Downtown Dig focuses on Grand River Street North from the Nith River Bridge to just north of the Barnes Farm Dance intersection. Phase 2 is broken into three sub phases so county staff could plan appropriate traffic detours through downtown during construction. Phase 2A was scheduled to kick off on April 7th, with the closure of the main portion of Grand River Street North between Mechanic and William Streets. That initial step is now delayed until the end of April as Enbridge is still replacing natural gas infrastructure in the downtown core. Motorists got a taste of what’s to come last Thursday during the rush hour commute home. Enbridge was completing essential work at the Grand River/William Street intersection resulting in traffic grid lock from all directions as people tried to access downtown. It was an early reminder that the next few months will be trying at best and planning your route with some extra lead time might just be the best course of action. Thursdays unexpected congestion may have brought some frustrated motorists out to the County of Brant’s Downtown Dig Open House held that evening to learn more about the project. A couple hundred residents stopped by the drop-in style open house at the Paris Fairgrounds on April 3rd to speak with project engineers, and members of the county’s economic development, operations and communications team. Enterprise Brant and the Brantford-Brant Business Resource Enterprise were on hand to speak to business owners and lend support. Residents who attended brought lots of questions, many pertaining to specifics around where to park, when things will be closed and how construction will affect their lives. The underlining them from many residents were concerns that too many projects were coinciding at the same time and despite best planned routes, driving in Paris was going to cause lots of headaches the next few months. Businesses owners are equally concerned with how the closure of the main street will affect their sales this summer, normally a very busy time of year. Crozier said the county has established some good relationships with local businesses to hear their concerns and learn their delivery schedules so they could provide alternatives during construction. When phase 2A starts in the heart of downtown, motorists can bypass the construction by accessing the main intersection still or can bypass that main intersection on a detoured route that runs along Broadway Street, parallel to Grand River Street North. Last week county staff laid down a series of speed bumps on Broadway Street to reduce speeding as the detour route passes through a community safety zone at Paris Central School and past a library and several churches. That local bypass brings motorists to and from Mechanic Street where access will remain open over the Nith River bridge during phase 2A. The most difficult work will be replacing the sanitary sewers in phase 2A, said Crozier, noting the sewers are buried deep and on a very shallow grade. “That portion of the project has to be stabilized before we move to phase 2B,” he said. Phase 2B is the closure of Grand River Street North from Mechanic Street just past the Nith River Bridge, leaving the only in town access to and from one end of town to another via Willow and William Street.  With the nice weather upon us soon, Crozier hopes more residents will take advantage of walking by parking at Lion’s Park and using the footbridge to connect to downtown. To help alleviate traffic pressure in town, county staff are also urging motorists to use the west bypass, which is identified as the preferred Paris bypass in the Paris Master Transportation plan. The west bypass takes motorists along the outskirts of Paris from Keg Lane and Brant Oxford Road in the North end to Bishopsgate Road and Powerline Road in the South end. It connects motorists from both Highways 401 and 403 without entering Paris. “We have signage ordered and it should be installed any day now to encourage the west bypass,” said Crozier. “We will have temporary signals at Brant Oxford Road and Keg Lane as we recognize turning left on Brant Oxford can be difficult.”The county will also install another temporary signal at Powerline Road and Bishopsgate Rd to help with traffic flow as increased motorists rely on the bypass. The west bypass might just be the best option if you’re travelling to and from Brantford as another construction project gets underway next week on Paris Road.A new sanitary sewer will be installed on Paris Road, Oak Park Road and a portion of Dundas Street East. The timeline for this project runs concurrent with construction downtown and on West River Street. To help manage all the construction, it’s suggested residents rely on important information about detours, updates, timeline changes and on the County’s EngageBrant website. Not only is it a tool for people to stay informed, but also a mechanism for county staff to hear the concerns and suggestions of residents. Dana Steane, Public Consultation Specialist with the County’s Strategic Initiatives Department said residents can subscriber to the Downtown Dig page enabling them to receive timely emails and stay informed throughout the project. There’s a question board for people to post questions and receive answers, which remains live throughout the project. Find out more at www.engagebrant.ca/downtowndig You can also follow municipal511.ca for roads reports.