Construction begins on Ottawa Street for installation of two roundabouts
Posted Apr 18, 2017 03:41:36 PM.
Last Updated Apr 18, 2017 04:25:35 PM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Crews have started construction steps to install two roundabouts along Ottawa Street.
One will be at Homer Watson Boulevard and Ottawa Street, which is ranked the second most dangerous intersection in Waterloo Region, according to the 2016 Collision Report. That intersection sees over 54,000 vehicles daily. The other roundabout will be installed at Ottawa Street and Alpine Road, which is ranked the 28th most dangerous intersection in the Region, according to the same report.
The first steps of construction had crews close the Highway 7/8 eastbound on-ramp from Homer Watson Blvd on Monday, in order to prepare to build a by-pass road to divert traffic off of Ottawa Street. Eastbound highway access is still available by taking the ramp on Ottawa Street.
“The first stage is to build the temporary road that will take until about the middle of May. At which point, we will basically close Ottawa Street itself and re-route traffic on a temporary road from the highway to south of Alpine Road,” explains Senior Project Manager, Wayne Cheater, with the Region of Waterloo.
At that point, they will close off Ottawa Street. Homer Watson will be closed south of Ottawa Street, and Alpine Road will be closed south of Ottawa Street as well, however they will maintain access to the Alpine Road businesses. Those closures are expected until sometime in September, until the roundabouts are partially completed.
Access to Highway 7/8 eastbound will change due to the construction.
“When our project is completed, or partly through the completion of the project, the ramp will re-open, but the access will no longer be from Homer Watson it will be from Ottawa Street southbound at Alpine Road.”
Once the roundabouts are partially finished, that stretch will be re-opened, and will wait for the final touches of asphalt to be laid, which Cheater hopes will happen before Thanksgiving weekend.
The price tag on this project is estimated around $6.5 million, which is within the Region’s approved budget for the Transportation Capital Program.
