Staff
With Borderland seemingly beset by a spring weather cycle of rain, snow, and sunshine to melt that snow, only for it to freeze overnight, walking through puddles comes with the territory.
But one area where pedestrians have little choice where to walk in order to reach the north end of town is the Portage Avenue underpass sidewalk, which remains unfinished along with the ongoing rehabilitation.
The town has been trying to keep it usable the best it can, environmental and facilities superintendent Doug Herr said this morning.
“We have diverted the water that runs down the street onto the roadway so it doesn’t run onto the sidewalk,” he noted.
“We also pump it out every once in a while with our vacuum truck, to keep the water from building up too high so that you can walk on the gravel and not in the water.
“We’ve been doing that—well, it depends on the day,” Herr explained. “Like on a day like today, where it stays right around zero C, you won’t get a lot of water.
“But days when it warms up and it [water] starts to collect, we will pump it out before the end of the day.”
But one north-end resident said it’s a safety hazard, and suggested the town close the underpass to one lane of traffic and leave the other one open for pedestrians.
She noted she’s seen women push their babies in strollers down the road because they couldn’t move along the walkway.
She also said she’s seen pedestrians walk along the edge of the walkway, on the other side of the railing, to avoid the water.
She stressed the subway walkway is the only way for north-end pedestrians, including seniors and students going to Robert Moore School, to legally get across the railroad tracks other than the McIrvine Road crossing.
