Grand River Street North roadwork begins

By Casandra Turnbull

It’s official, a section of Paris’busiest street is shut down for important infrastructure work and traffic woes in town are already mounting.

Construction on Grand River Street North from Silver Street to Scott Avenue, which was originally scheduled to start June 19th , is now underway to complete a Trunk Sewer and Watermain Replacement. This first phase of the multi-year project to repair and reconstruction Grand River Street North is estimated to take six months to complete.

During this time, one lane will remain open for southbound traffic only between Scott Ave to 100 metres south of Trillium Way. That means only vehicles heading towards downtown Paris can travel on that stretch of road. Construction crews closed off the road on August 8th to begin working. The traffic chaos that ensued alarmed many residents. Vehicles were heading down the road the wrong way, people were making u turns in the middle of the road and other motorists were confused because there were no detours signs giving motorists and alternate route. Many residents reportedly called the non-emergency police line to report the traffic dangers. Others reported it to the county. Everyone reported it on social media.

Grand River Street North is now closed to one way, southbound, traffic only between Scott Avenue and 100 metres south of Trillium Way (by Subway). All northbound traffic, including vehicles accessing businesses in the construction zone, must follow posted detour signs. The Paris Veterinarian Clinic created this easy-to-follow detour map to share on social media.

In a press release issued by the County of Brant the following morning, it was acknowledged that during a site visit Tuesday evening, county employees

‘noticed a significant number of vehicles disobeying signage As a result, additional signage will be put in place today and over this week as it becomes available from the contractor.’

Following that release, the county has installed more advance signage as you approach the detour, additional detour route signage and directional signage advising people how to access businesses within the construction zone, said Joe Murphy, Capital Project Manager for the Infrastructure Services Division of the County of Brant.

One of the more confusing signs that was placed advising ‘local traffic only,’ was removed “Our original intent was to allow access to Home Hardware, Telfer Place and the south leg of Bradbury Cresent as local traffic,” said Murphy

“We have now changed our plans to restrict all north bound traffic at Silver St., removing “Local Traffic Only” signage, and installing “Do Not Enter” signs to eliminate any further ambiguity at this intersection.”

As for police presence, Murphy confirmed the county did request passive OPP presence before the project started, noting the OPP have been onsite multiple times this week The county does have the option of contracting dedicated OPP, if necessary Currently, the county has opted to wait as it typically takes people about two weeks to acclimatize to the new conditions, Murphy explained.

“If offences such as speeding or disobeying signs continue after two weeks, we will contract for a dedicated OPP presence onsite and along the detour.”

The biggest challenge ahead, once people are acclimatized, will be the Paris Fair when out of town visitors navigate the streets for the first time. The County plans to install large message boards along Grand River Street North to advise of the construction and to remind people to use extra

Caution

“We are confident the improvements implemented over the course of this week along with message boards will be sufficient. We ask everyone to be patient and courteous when driving in the area now and during the Paris Fair.”

During the remainder of the project, all northbound traffic will be detoured along Silver Street, Oak Avenue and Scott Avenue. Intersections and driveways will be open but will require one-to-two day closures from time to time throughout the work. All businesses will remain open during construction

Additional safety measures have also been implemented along the detour routes including speed humps, speed display signage, and a temporary school crosswalk on Oak Avenue at Whitlaw Way. Residents are reminded to please obey all signage.

Please refer to Municipal 511 http://www.municipal511.ca for the most up-todate traffic information regarding road construction and closures If you have any questions, comments or concerns regarding the project, please contact the County's Capital Project Manager, Joe Murphy at 519 44BRANT (519 442 7268)