Years-long construction on roads won’t limit access to downtown businesses in Brampton, city says
Published September 17, 2024 at 2:25 pm
Work has started on improvement to downtown Brampton including new traffic lights and upgraded roads, but will turn the city’s Four Corners as a construction zone for the next three years.
After years of planning, the city’s Downtown Revitalization Streetscape Project is officially underway at Main Street and Queen Street West and will bring upgrades like new signals at six downtown intersections, refurbished roads and sidewalks with granite pavers, more public spaces, and a new bike path.
While the city says the work will be done in phases to limit disruptions to traffic and local businesses, the construction is expected to last until 2027 and will see lane reductions and “segmented closures.”
The work is in addition to ongoing watermain and sanitary sewer repairs in downtown Brampton that led the city to launch a grant for businesses struggling to stay afloat during the construction.
The city says access to businesses will remain open during the streetscape construction, and will make sure “safe and accessible walkways and entryways are maintained for everyone during construction.”
Roadways in the revitalization area will be narrowed to one lane in each direction and the pavement will be resurfaced.
Construction will take place from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays with additional work after hours and on weekends as required, the city says. Traffic during construction will be reduced to one lane in the active construction zone.
The streetscaping project got more than $16 million in funding from the city in 2021, but a report to council showed the price of materials, construction and design work ballooned to an additional $6,515,000 in costs.
Around $2.5 million of the additional costs come from the increased price of granite materials for road resurfacing, while another $2.8 million is required for the construction of new traffic signals.
The increases also included $700,000 for the replacement of streetlight power lines and $365,000 in design and construction contingency.
