Advertisement 1

Stretch of Dundas Street to undergo repairs

People driving down Dundas Street will need to find an alternate route for the coming weeks.

Article content

Motorists who usually use Dundas Street as part of their commutes will have to find a different route for the coming weeks.

Advertisement 2
Story continues below
Article content

The city’s public works department is beginning an asphalt resurfacing on Dundas Street between Wellington Street and Vansittart Avenue starting Monday.

The resurfacing – approved as part of the city’s 2019 capital budget – will rehabilitate the more than 20-year-old driving surface.

Article content

The work is expected to take three to five weeks, although that timeline hinges on the weather.

With Woodstock’s major summer events over,  the construction company – Permanent Paving of Bright – will be able to have their subcontractors start work on sections.

“It’s a timing thing. We want to avoid Streetfest and any other major events on Dundas Street,” Doug Ellis, the city’s deputy engineer, said. “The timing was also part of the tender and giving the contractors the proper time to do the work.”

Advertisement 3
Story continues below
Article content

Traffic heading east will be maintained at all times while westbound traffic will be detoured north to Ingersoll Avenue from Dundas and Huron streets, and then west on Ingersoll Avenue to Vansittart Avenue before turning south on Vansittart Avenue and back to Dundas Street.

There will be no daytime parking on this stretch of Dundas Street for the duration of the project.

The work will also include the removal of cobblestones from intersections – completed one side at a time – that will be replaced with new asphalt.

This section of Dundas Street will have the top asphalt taken off, a new surface placed, and then lines for parking and the street repainted. The lifespan of heavily driven on asphalt is about 20 years, so, with the last installation in 1996, the work was needed, Ellis said.

Advertisement 4
Story continues below
Article content

“It’s seen its life. You can tell its met its life at certain parts,” he said.

Ellis said the cobblestones are being removed since city staff were consistently repairing and replacing them. The city’s road consultant recommended having all sections of road be the same consistent material.

“When paving stones and concrete fail, they fail terribly because it’s more rigid and it becomes a continuous maintenance item,” he said. “When you have two materials and one fails, it becomes a problem.”

The cobblestone section near the police station was removed last year after bricks were consistently popping out and needing repairs.

The nearly 700-metre stretch of Dundas Street is estimated to cost about $200,000, and is part of a $1.7-million tender awarded to Bright’s Permanent Paving for roadwork this year and next.

Advertisement 5
Story continues below
Article content

Ellis said notice was given to local businesses, but the timing was a little briefer than optimum since Permanent Paving’s subcontractors became available sooner than expected.

“There’s a little bit of short notice, but (Permanent Paving) was able to get the subcontractor this Monday,” he said. “It caught us a little off guard. We circulated notices to the businesses. We try to do the best we can with what we know. … We want to be in and out of there as soon as possible.”

Businesses will remain open throughout the construction period, and residents are urged to check the city’s website for alternative parking and transit detours.

“Generally, the motorists and the public are really good in Woodstock and they understand to give themselves a bit more time,” he said.

Article content
Comments
You must be logged in to join the discussion or read more comments.
Join the Conversation

Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion. Please keep comments relevant and respectful. Comments may take up to an hour to appear on the site. You will receive an email if there is a reply to your comment, an update to a thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information.

Latest National Stories
    News Near Tillsonburg
      This Week in Flyers