Ontario Construction News staff writer
Construction on Guelph’s Downtown Infrastructure Renewal Program has reached its second major milestone on schedule, with the Macdonell Street and Wyndham Street intersection reopening Aug. 16.
The milestone follows the July reopening of Lower Wyndham Street, the first major milestone in Phase 1 of the Downtown Infrastructure Renewal Program (DTIRP).
The Macdonell-Wyndham intersection was closed July 19 for construction that was expected to take approximately one month. Contractor Steed and Evans used overnight work to accelerate construction and complete the work on schedule.
Achieving the second milestone on time demonstrates the momentum of the project and the shared commitment of the city and contractor to minimizing impacts on the downtown community, city officials said.
“Students are a vital part of our Downtown community and are among the many people who rely on transit to travel through the area,” said Kyle Gibson, acting general manager for transportation and engineering services. “Reopening this route now will improve mobility, reduce disruptions, and help create a smoother experience for residents, students, businesses, visitors, and all transit users travelling in and out of our Downtown core, helping to support local businesses as activity picks up this fall.”
With the second milestone complete, construction has now moved into the next stage of the project.
Following the Labour Day weekend, crews will begin progressing north along Wyndham Street from the Quebec Street-Douglas Street intersection toward Woolwich Street.
This phase includes the closure of St. George’s Square to all traffic, while Quebec and Douglas streets become temporary dead-ends.
The Downtown Infrastructure Renewal Program is replacing and upgrading infrastructure in the downtown core, with construction expected to bring further changes to traffic, transit and parking as work progresses.
Project information is updated every Monday on the Diggable Downlow website.
