The revamping of the Church Street and Veteran Avenue crosswalk has been postponed to 2027, but the commemorative painting to honour veterans will still be done this year.
Modernization of the pedestrian crossover outside the Fort Frances Legion to make the intersection compliant with current Ontario Traffic Manual (OTM) standards and address complaints of locals who regularly cross there was included in the town’s 2026 capital budget; however, the Town received no bids to complete the work.
Coinciding with this work is a plan to commission a commemorative painting on the crosswalk surface to honour veterans that had been on hold until details of the construction were confirmed. An entirely separate project, that will now go ahead and is expected to be completed by the end of 2026, coinciding with the Royal Canadian Legion’s 100th anniversary.
Any disruption to the surface won’t affect the painting, as the rapid wear and tear on roads in northern communities caused by regular snow removal would require it to be repainted annually, Infrastructure and Growth Manager Travis Rob told The Times.
“The commemorative crosswalk painting is something that’s going to have to happen every year because during wintertime snow removal, our road markings take an absolute beating.”
The crosswalk modernization project includes some roadwork and adjustments to the current lights and signage.
“The ultimate goal of the project was to address the complaints, bring it into compliance with the OTMs, refresh the signage and refresh the lighting,” Rob said.
“To do that, we’d have to move the sidewalk slightly to the west, a little bit back from the intersection. New curb drops to meet accessibility standards, new signage, flashing beacons and roadway lighting to again meet OTM standards.”
“So, there’s some curb and gutter work, there’s some sidewalk work, there’s some new light poles that have to go in, there’s some light poles that have to come out and a little bit of wiring.”
The complaints from residents regarding the intersection have all been around the poor lighting and signage for pedestrians, meaning this project will both appease locals and meet OTM standards.
Council has elected to wait until 2027 to have the roadwork completed, in hopes that there will be better luck in finding a contractor.
